SOUTH AFRICAN FILMMAKING

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ADOPTED is a mockumentary / comedy that explores the hilarious lengths to which Pauly Shore (Son in Law; Pauly Shore is Dead) will go to adopt a child during a trip to Africa.  Read more

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAMA Local writer-director-producer Karen van Schalkwyk's delightful locally made short film. Mama works as a street vendor in down-town Johannesburg. When she is robbed by three tsotsis, Mama decides to take matters into her own hands.  Read more

U-CARMEN-E-KHAYELITSHA (CARMEN IN KHAYELITSHA) A groundbreaking opera film - the first of its kind in Xhosa won the Golden Bear at the 19th Berlin Film Festival.  This gripping township version of Bizet's opera Carmen is set and mostly filmed in Khayelitsha. Read more

BAKGAT The first Afrikaans feature film that were primarily produced for a youth market.  Bakgat is a contemporary Afrikaans teen movie about the lives and times of a group of students in high school. Read more

BAKGAT 2 The story continues two years later where Bakgat! left off - the group of friends have now left school and are at University. Read more

BEHIND THE RAINBOW The documentary explores the transition of the ANC from a liberation organization into South Africa's ruling party, through the evolution of the relationship between two of its most prominent cadres, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma.  Read more

BIG FELLAS - BEE all you wanna-bee Two young guys, Zed and Jake, who have made a documentary expose about the modelling industry, go on a road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg to close a deal to sell their film. One problem - they need a BEE partner, and they need one fast. Read more

BORN INTO STRUGGLE Filmmaker Rehad Desai takes on us an intimate journey mapped out by the scars etched into his family's life from having a father who was intensely involved in politics. Go behind the scenes

BOY CALLED TWIST Tim Greene's Boy called Twist superbly captures the seedy individuals that survive on the streets of Cape Town as it shadows the timeless tale of Oliver Twist in its own inimitable style. Read more

BUNNY CHOW Directed by John Barker, and written by Barker and David Kibuuka, Bunny Chow follows the raucous and often ridiculous journey of three stand-up comedians as they make their way to a popular rock concert, Oppi Koppi.  Read more

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE A gentle and heart warming film, Cape of Good Hope uses a character driven portrayal of eight socially disparate, yet fatefully intertwined, people to subtly portray the generosity and joy, as well as the underlying racial and cultural prejudices, that permeate all aspects of life in the Cape.  Directed by Mark Bamford,

CONFESSIONS OF A GAMBLER A haunting and captivating journey into the soul of a Muslim woman in South Africa. Set almost incongruously amidst the Muslim community in Cape Town, it reaches into the depths of Muslim culture and tells the story of Abeeda, a pious Muslim woman who also happens to be a gambling addict. Read more

CONVERSATIONS ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON Matabane ingeniously uses non-fictional elements in the telling of a fictional story of Keniloe (a superb Tony Kgoroge) who searches for Fatima, a refugee he used to encounter each Sunday at the park. Read more

COSMIC AFRICA A unique 72 minute High Definition feature length documentary film that both explores and sheds new light on traditional African astronomy and in turn global understanding of the world's oldest science.  Read more

DIE ONGELOOFLIKE AVONTURE VAN HANNA HOEKOM kykNET approached Spookasem Productions in 2009 about the idea to adapt a well-known prescribed novel for the screen. Apart from it being an amazing opportunity to make a movie, especially in South Africa, the added bonus for Gustav Kuhn, executive producer and screenwriter, was to make a movie in his home language. Read more

DISCREET In a society that promotes sexual promiscuity and where true honesty is a rare commodity, Monique and Thomas take the audience on a funny, poignant and brutal journey of self-examination. Read more

DOLLARS AND WHITE PIPES It is a rags to riches story which follows Bernard Baaitjies's journey from the drug and gang culture to emotional and moral independence as he overcomes issues of race, education, addiction and racketeering and finally becomes a well respected and law abiding business entrepreneur - which he still is today. Read more

DRUM A bewitchingly evocative chronicle of South Africa in the 1950s, Drum depicts the blithe interracial hedonism of Sophiatown as it becomes aware of the insidious escalation of Apartheid. Read the director's statement

EGOLI From the renowned producer and writer Franz Marx comes the  Egoli film, a thrilling story about deep and dark secrets from Niek (David Rees) en Joe's (Darren Kelkens) past. Read more

EK LIEF JOU South African audiences would turn "Ek Lief Jou" into an instant box office hit. This is one of the best comedies to hit SA screens, but without the potty humour. It is directed by Ate De Jong, best known for successful comedies such as 'Drop Dead Fred'. Read more

FAITH LIKE POTATOES  Frank Rautenbach leads a strong cast as Angus Buchan, a Zambian farmer of Scottish heritage, who leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest and racially charged land reclaims and travels south with his family to start a better life in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.  Read an interview with Frank Rautenbach  Read an interview with Regardt van den Bergh Visit the website

FAITH'S CORNER Directed by Darrell James Roodt and starring Leleti Khumalo follows Faith and her two young sons Siyabonga and Lucky who live on the streets of modern day Johannesburg. With the little money she makes she tries to raise her children as best as she can though they often go to sleep hungry and scared. Faith must not only combat the apathy of the wealthy elite that pass her everyday but also the distrust and danger of the locals. Read more

FINDING LENNY This local comedy directed by Neal Sundstrom follows a series of misfortunes that befall its lead character, Lenny, (played by Barry Hilton) and his triumphant return to happiness when circumstances (and soccer) collide to provide him with some interesting new options in life. Read more

THE FLYER The uplifting story of a young coloured kid saved from the mean streets of Cape Town by an old trapeze great, and indoctrinated into a gravity-defying world - trapeze flying!  Read more

FOOTSKATING 101 Vince, a poor miner's son, sets out to save his small town from exploding, his family home from the government, and his granny's lungs, all by inventing the new extreme sport of footskating... which is skateboarding for those who can't really afford a board. Read more

FOR BETTER FOR WORSE The film, although funny, also celebrates the lives of South African Indians, their culture and lifestyle which is something that has hardly been tackled before. The city of Durban within which the film is located is given ample exposure.  The intent of the producers was to make a stylish, slick product moving away from shoddy stereotyping and ghettoising of Indians. Read more

FORGIVENESS In this film, we take a non-manipulative, you might say necessary 3^rd world approach to camera, light and composition and storytelling - We promote the use of simple character and story development and avoid where we can, the use of artifice to heighten dramatic effect. Read more

CONFESSIONS OF A GAMBLER  The story of a woman struggling with a gambling addiction, and the cast is made up of almost exclusively non-professional actors, which gives the film a real authenticity. "With a film like this, retaining the raw integrity of the story is critical," says producer Ross Garland (Big Fellas, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha). Read more

GETROUD MET RUGBY - DIE ONVERTELDE STORIE is a spin off from the very popular and successful KykNET drama "Getroud met Rugby". The film is the "untold story" between season 2 and seaon 3 and stands on it's own legs independent of the series. As such it has the familiar feel and some of the familiar characters of the TV series but stands on it's own as a fulfulling cinema experience.It tells the tale of two broken people (Izak Davel, Altus Theart), rugby players whose paths cross in order to find themselves. Read more

HANSIE South Africa is poised for what is to be one of the biggest local movies ever produced in this country. The man behind the big budget film HANSIE, about the dramatic life of former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronjé, is none other than Hansie's older brother Frans Cronjé. After the success of his first movie, Faith like Potatoes, in 2006, Frans's production company Global Creative Studios (GCS) is making its mark internationally as a production company committed to "telling stories that inspire".  Read more

HEAVEN'S HERDS In telling the story of the Nguni cattle and people, the film investigates controversial issues, says director James Hersov. "Modernity is juxtaposed with tradition around questions such as cattle as bride wealth, polygamy, the status of women, stick-fighting and Zulu masculinity, HIV/Aids, the value of virginity, cattle rustling, witchcraft and the ceremonial animal killing," he says. Read More

HIDDEN HEART Hidden Heart is a film about two men, glamour, injustice and uprising. Cape Town 1967: Christian Barnard transplanted the first human heart in a country where racial segregation was entrenched as nowhere else in the world. But behind him stood an unknown black man: Hamilton Naki. Read more

HITCHHIKER Filled with romance, jealousy, passion, old money and a bit of international crime to boot, HITCHHIKER follows two parallel love stories from the Highveld bush to the winelands of Stellenbosch. Read more

HOND SE DINGES *** A unresolved murder. A lost diamond. A radio interview that digs up a few real and imagined skeletons. A guilty conscience. This reignites the conflict between the De Langes and Coetsees. It gets out of hand. And that over dinges  diamonds  women. or both. In Afrikaans with English subtitles.  Go behind the scenes   Read an interview with producer-writer-director Johan Heyns and screenwriter Johann Potgieter

HOOFMEISIE is a hilarious and honest family comedy about four primary school girls who, under their dominating mothers, go to extremes to be elected as the head girl of Laerskool Stumbo Pops.  Read more

HOPEVILLE Hopeville is the uplifting story of Amos Manyani, a recovering alcoholic who moves to a rundown rural town in the hope of etching out a new life with his alienated son Themba. In the face of a corrupt municipality, dark community secrets and apparent apathy, Amos finds meaning in his mission to restore the derelict public swimming pool. This is largely a tender bid to also restore the damaged relationship with his son Themba, played by Junior Singo, who is an upcoming swimming star deeply unhappy that he now has to stay with his estranged father after his mother's untimely death. Amos's "service" is initially met with skepticism from both Themba and the community, and frustrating resistance from the authorities, but eventually his perseverance inspires the community of Hopeville to finally act on their convictions. Read more

HOW TO STEAL 2 MILLION The debut feature film by director Charlie Vundla. A dark crime drama set in the gritty streets of an unforgiving city. A modern day South African noir film that takes place in a sickly, corrupt city where everyone has an ulterior motive. Read more


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. Read more

IN GOD'S COUNTRY Based on a short story written by Dirk Fourie, with the screenplay adapted by Dirk Fourie and Daniel Dercksen, the short film was co-produced by The Writing Studio and provided an exciting training opportunity for future filmmakers. When a seashell is uncovered on a farm it leads a young man to redemption and acceptance and forces him to reconcile with his fragmented family. It was selected to be included in competition for the 6th Apollo Film Festival in Victoria West.Read more

INGRID JONKER: HER LIVES & TIME Documentary which includes Sir Laurens van der Post's last interview before he died in 1997 and Jan Rabie's final interview before he succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. Narrated by Marius Weyer, the documentary also includes an unprecedented access to Ingrid Jonker's diaries, private letters, home recordings and unpublished photographs, as well as the first public disclosure of Jack Cope's diaries.Read more

IN MY COUNTRY An African-American journalist, Langston arrives to cover South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission with preconceived ideas. Anna is an Afrikaans poet. Closeted from the insidious machinations of Apartheid, she is deeply shocked and horrified by the dissolute cruelty of her fellow citizens. of the people who live through them. Go behind the scenes. Read More

INTONGA The heart warming story of Siviwe, a young man from Fort Beaufort, and his fight for acceptance when he and his mother move to the city after his father dies. This stick fighter from Fort Beaufort is confronted by a local champion boxer "Knuckles", after his girlfriend Thando shows too much interest in Siviwe. Read more

IZULU LAMI/ MY SECRET SKY A young girl and her little brother leave their rural homestead for the city when they are orphaned, and meet up with a gang of street kids. Hoping to fulfil their mother's dream, in the end they find their own. Read more

JAKHALSDANSE Darrel Roodt's new film, Jakhalsdans. set and filmed in the picturesque town of Loxton in the Northern Cape, Jakhalsdans stars popular local singers Theuns Jordaan and Elizma Theron in the lead roles, and boasts a screenplay written by the widely admired Afrikaans crime novelist Deon Meyer. Read more

JERUSALEMA explores the will of the entrepreneurial spirit to assert itself in the face of degradation and decay. It looks at how law and order are viewed in a country that's deeply suspicious of the police.  A legacy not easily shorn after so much pain. Chronicling the rise to power of a self made millionaire from the slums of Soweto, the film shows how crime has come to pay in the new South Africa. Freedom is slavery, change is opportunity and property is theft. Welcome to the Promised Land… Read more

JOCK OF THE BUSHVELD Duncan MacNeillie returned to the creative challenge set by the book, and chose to follow the animation route this time around.  Read more

JOZI James  is a  successful  comedy writer.   There  is only one  small problem, he  lives  in  Johannesburg and has completely and utterly lost his sense of humour.  Crime, politics, pessimism and feather duster salesmen have invaded every cell of his body causing him  to  lose  the very spark of humour which enables him  to earn his living. Written and directed by Craig Freimond. Read more 

KARATE KALLIE - DIE HELE MOVIE Being the new kid at school? Well it can be difficult to fit in - especially if it is clear you probably didn't fit in at your previous school either. Add a rather odd psychotic bully and your prospects become more than frightening. Written and directed by Wimpie van der Merwe.  Read more

LIEFLING Featuring an all-star cast and a soundtrack that includes some of the most well known Afrikaans songs from the 70s to today, Liefling, die Movie is a love story in the tradition of spectacular musicals such as Moulin Rouge, Mamma Mia! and High School Musical.  Read more

LIFE, ABOVE ALL Based on the international award winning novel Chanda's Secret by Allan Stratton. It is an emotional and universal drama about a young girl who fights the fear and shame that has poisoned her community. The film captures the enduring strength of loyalty and a courage powered by the heart.The South African Academy Award Selection Committee and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) announce the selection of Life, Above All for consideration as South Africa's official entry into the Best Foreign Film category for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards (Oscars). If approved by the Oscars Academy Award Selection Committee, it will represent South Africa as the nominee for Oscars 2011. Read more

LONG STREET Acclaimed director Revel Fox's new film ia an intimate, honest film which draws on the real life experience of Fox's own daughter who battled with drug addiction while trying to make it as a musician. With its sparse dialogue, Long Street tells its story with feeling, compassion and elegance. Read more

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