I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU BLACK AND WHITE
"It's a grey area"

Oliver Rodger presents a hilarious new comedy "I now pronounce you Black and White".
When two people fall in love and get married it is a joyous occasion, right?
Wrong!
Meet Simon Dawson (Tyrel Meyer). Simon is a white Jewish South African who has just returned from working overseas in the UK. He is introduced to Jackie Msolisi, (Astara Mwakalumbwa) an independent, smart and beautiful black South African girl. Sparks fly and after a whirlwind romance Simon and Jackie announce their plans to marry. This does not meet with the approval of their parents.
Felix Dawson (Ian Roberts) is a wealthy Afrikaaner who seems to care more about money and status than anything else. He even converted to Judaism to marry his younger trophy wife, Sheila (Bo Petersen). Sheila is materialistic, overbearing and image conscious. The idea of a black daughter-in-law terrifies them.
Pauline Msolisi (Sylvia Mdunyelwa) is a devout Christian and believes her daughter should marry a nice local boy and have lots of children. She doesn't trust white people and is upset with Jackie's announcement. Clarence (Kwezi Kobus) is Pauline's long-suffering husband. He goes along with whatever Pauline says to make his life easier.
Simon and Jackie just want a simple ceremony without getting race or religion involved. They plan a family dinner and invite both sets of parents round to make peace with each other. Unfortunately the Msolisis bring their evangelical Pastor, Pastor Krotz (Brendon Daniels) to the dinner and the Dawsons bring their unorthodox Rabbi, Rabbi Gershowitz (Adam Neill). The dinner only serves to make the Dawson's and Msolisis more determined to stop the wedding in its tracks.
The Dawsons decide to enrol their daughter, Amanda Dawson (Candice D'Arcy) in their plot to spoil the wedding. The Msolisis consult a Sangoma (Tina Jaxa) and her bumbling assistant (Nik Rabinowitz).
The wedding becomes a battleground as White meets Black, Jew meets Christian and Old meets New. David, the British Best Man (Scott Sparrow), turns peacemaker in his bid to salvage the wedding from certain disaster. 
David is forced to rely on some whacky and unusual guests to delay proceedings just long enough to get Simon and Jackie to say "I do".
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU BLACK AND WHITE is a hilariously funny film, full of outrageous characters that will make your family look like the Brady Bunch, as true love tries to conquer all, against all odds.

Who's invited?
Oliver Rodger's hysterically funny debut feature film has something very familiar about it.  Painful truth.
"Who doesn't know someone who is a racist?" says Rodger, "The whole reason that the characters are funny is because they are true."  Rodger, who based a lot of the characters on people he has met over the past six years he has lived South Africa, thinks people want to watch a film like this;  "I think South Africans  have a great sense of humour and are ready and willing to laugh at themselves."
Explains executive producer, Carla Van Wyk, who is also Rodger's girlfriend: "Yes, a lot of the ideas from the film were based on our own personal experiences of being a mixed race couple in South Africa. Not that my parents are anything like the Dawsons or the Msolisis!"
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU BLACK AND WHITE is not a totally original concept. The 1947 classic GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER began Hollywood's fascination with boy meets girl, girl's parents hate boy, boy and girl ignore parents' idea. We have seen this theme develop in films like MEET THE PARENTS with the ex-CIA father and compulsive liar boyfriend, or THE BIRDCAGE, where the parents are polar opposites and the modern day GUESS WHO that brought race back into the picture. But none of the films were ever set in South Africa where one could argue that race is still a topical subject matter. Says Rodger:"I can still walk down the street holding my girlfriend's hand and get a disapproving look."
Being a native Brit may have given Rodger the edge when writing this script that he could be totally neutral and write from an objective point of view. Says long time friend and co-producer, Kirk Krotz: "I was amazed that a British guy could write something so poignant, so accurate and so funny. I think Oliver was Coloured in his previous life."
Although Rodger was not born in South Africa he has strong ties through his father's family and he has lived in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban since January 2003. It was in this time that he experienced the cultures and characters that helped develop his story into a full feature film script. "I wrote the first draft back in 2007/08 and it was more of a story about a British guy coming to South Africa for the first time but I think the comedy appealed more to me than it did to anyone reading it so I kept rewriting it and it just developed into a very typical romcom that has a broad appeal to any South African."
Indeed the film does not take sides, poking fun at both families in equal measure. But it is the delivery and performance of the South African actors that is so refreshing. And there are some familiar faces in the film as well as some exciting up-and-comers to the big screen. "One of the biggest challenges", recalls co-producer Krotz, "was finding the right couple to play Simon and Jackie because we weren't just looking for the best individual actors but the best on screen pair." After lengthy auditions, Tyrel Meyer and Astara Mwakalumbwa were cast.
"I remember Oliver asking me who I thought was best suited to play alongside me. I was surprised that he even asked my opinion but he really wanted the decision to be a 'we' decision not a 'me' decision" says Tyrel of the casting.  Astara remembers the first time she and Tyrel got together for a read through. "We were trying to develop our characters together a couple of weeks before the shoot. We met up in Rondebosch for a coffee and I was shocked by how many dirty looks I got. That experience did disappoint me but also helped me understand Jackie's character better."
Ian Roberts, star of Academy Award winning TSOTSIE recalls, "I didn't like the sound of Felix and I have played my fair share of racist Afrikaaners so my first reaction was to say no to the role but once Oliver explained it was a comedy, it changed my mind."
Felix Dawson really epitomizes everything that is wrong with the old South Africa. The same can be said of Pauline Msolisi, the mother of the bride, played exquisitely by Sylvia Mdunyelwa. It was by pure luck that the script even landed on her plate but a last minute withdrawal by one of the actors left the role of Pauline open with just two weeks to go. "I was pulling my hair out at the time," says Rodger, "I thought this is what people warned me about film production. But with a bit of luck and calling around I met Sylvia. When I found out her husband was also an actor I cast them both on the spot."
Sylvia and husband Kwezi Kobus have been in South African entertainment for decades. Sylvia is still at the heart of the Cape Town jazz scene. Their real life relationship added to their on screen performance. "I'm nothing like Pauline." says Sylvia with conviction, "She is so bossy. I'm not like that." She looks to Kwezi for assurance and he duly obliges, "She's worse," he says with a smile.

Whose side are you on?
"We always wanted I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU BLACK AND WHITE to appeal to every South African demographic," says exec producer Van Wyk. "A lot of films today target one type of market but this really has that cross-over appeal and characters that you love or love to hate no matter who you are."
"For me it is about highlighting how holding a grudge is bad and if you open your eyes to new things maybe they won't be so bad," explains Rodger who wrote the script based on his own personal South African experience. "A lot of the characters are based on friends of mine or people I have met and some of the comedy stems from my first hand experience in those situations"
This can be best illustrated by the character of David Middy, the British best man with the thankless task of trying to bring the two families together. Scott Sparrow adds, "David is like this Hugh Grant type character always putting his foot in it and trying to do the right thing but totally underestimating the conflict that exists between the two families." Rodger confirms, "I think Hugh Grant in Mickey Blue Eyes is actually the exact replica of the character Scott plays. A total fish out of water and you can't help but feel for the guy."
"What stood out for me" admits lead actor Tyrel Meyer, "was Oliver's writing style. He has incorporated everything funny in South Africa, the characters, the cultures but he has written it in a very Hollywood way so it is a South African film but it feels more like a Hollywood film."
Sparrow concurs, "There is an element of British humour in the comedy but in a very South African context. I think it blends really well."
Rodger is quick to point out that a lot of the best moments in the film came from the actors going off script. "All my favourite bits are bits I didn't even write. Ian and Bo are hilarious." Rodger, a long time admirer of Ian Roberts, tracked him down through Roberts' ex producer on GOING NOWHERE SLOWLY. Rodger was adamant that only Roberts would do as Felix and it proved a shrewd move as Roberts and his on-screen wife, the wonderfully gifted Bo Petersen, produce some cracking dialogue. "It was a lot of fun. I did have some trouble keeping a straight face," admits Petersen. "I think the reason the film is so entertaining is because the actors are not comedy actors, they are drama actors doing comedy with total conviction which somehow makes it funnier. Like Robert De Niro in MEET THE PARENTS" suggests Krotz.
"I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU BLACK AND WHITE" explains Krotz, who also edited the film, "works because it is simple. It's a love story about a boy and a girl whose parents disapprove. It's like a modern day Romeo and Juliet." But Rodger counters: "I never wanted it to be a chick flick!" And Krotz agrees "There is definitely enough comedy in there for everyone."
One of the biggest laughs comes when the Msolisis turn to a Sangoma for assistance in breaking up the marriage. The Sangoma is played by the indomitable Tina Jaxa best known for her portrayal of the outspoken domestic worker in 90's hit sitcom Madame and Eve. Her assistant is a white Twaza played by South African comedian of the year 2008, Nik Rabinowitz. "I can't work with this guy," confesses Tina, "he makes me laugh too much."
Rodger could only cast Nik in a small role as he had other commitments to his stand up tour so he wrote the Sangoma's assistant as a bumbling white guy who has 'the calling'. "Because of Nik's unique brand of comedy and fluent Xhosa I wanted to give him a role that would traditionally be for that of a black person. As I later found out it is not uncommon to find white Sangomas," recounts Rodger.

The Wedding Venue.
"Everyone I know told me not to produce and direct." admits Rodger, "I should have listened to them." 
During the second week of filming the production team set up the wedding venue at Marsh Memorial Children's Home in Rondebosch. This was the biggest challenge to the production. Art Director Donnie Conradie recounts, "Marsh met all the physical requirements of the wedding venue but the interiors were a bit shabby to say the least. It took us about three weeks and a lot of paint to turn the interiors into five star luxury but I think it looks the part on screen." Some scenes required additional extras and some of the children and the staff of Marsh were asked to join in. "We rounded up as many people as we could find who owned a shirt and pants and got them into the shot as background extras," says Donnie.
Rodger comfirms: "The crew was excellent. The art department did an amazing job with limited resources. Everyone did. It was a real team effort."
Charles Tertiens who plays one of the comical wedding guests admits, "There were days when I was standing around on set waiting to shoot my scene which never happened. Usually I would be on the phone complaining to my agent but it was a really good vibe on set and I found myself wanting to help out."
Director of Photography, Gavin Goodman says "With the limited lighting gear we had to pick the right time of day for exteriors. We would shoot the crowd scenes in the early morning or early evening and then shoot the interiors in the afternoon when the light was brightest."
This meant a regular change in the shooting schedule admits Van Wyk, "There was an ongoing joke on set that nobody ever knew what the next scene was that we were going to shoot."
"All lies," exclaims Rodger, "Everything ran like clockwork."
Well maybe not everything as three months after shooting wrapped there was a reshoot of the penultimate scene. In the original script there was a live bull that charged down the mother of the bride but scheduling conflicts meant the bull was scrapped in favor of a bakkie that was to run Pauline over. "This wasn't working in the edit" explains Krotz, "so in September we revisited Marsh with a skeleton crew and key cast and a real live bull."
"No stuntmen. No special effects." Rodger assures us with glee as we watch Sylvia Mdunyelwa reprise her role as Pauline and sprint across a field with genuine fear in her eyes followed closely by Carpaccio the bull. "I can't…I can't anymore," Sylvia pleads after the fourth take of adrenaline pumping hysteria.
"She did it for me," Rodger announces proudly as he hugs Sylvia with appreciation and respect, "He's my 'White' stepson," Sylvia replies.

About the Filmmakers…

OLIVER RODGER - WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Oliver is a graduate of the European Business School in London and has extensive business experience in the UK and South Africa. Oliver came to South Africa in January 2003 to set up Dialogue Group, an International Business Process Outsourcing business in Cape Town. Dialogue Group today employs over 1,000 South Africans in its three offices nationwide. He returned to the UK in 2006 to develop the international arm of Probability PLC, a bespoke gaming application for mobile phones. Oliver returned to South Africa in 2007 where he is now based full time and runs Ollywood Productions, a feature film production company.  Oliver started out producing local commercials for television with Public Pool. He has worked on commercials for Ocean Basket, Royco, HTC and Syke Bank of Nigeria. In 2008 he produced a thirteen episode travel series called FOUR MEN AND A LADY, which involved extensive work across five different continents and nine different countries around the world including South Africa. In 2009 Oliver wrote, produced and directed his first feature film, I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU BLACK AND WHITE.

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN FILMMAKING

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