documentary focus I N KQ U B O -MB A LI s e L O

South African films

Compiled by Cherezaan Basadien even, she takes a bet with her friends that Corlet, an orphanage director with a literary Audiovisual Selector she can make a star out of the school's bent. Years later, with the orphanage in dire dorkiest boy, Wimpie Koekemoer – the financial straits, Corlet sells a group of the biggest geek in school. Wimpie is constantly older orphans to Bedel, who brings them to outh Africa has a long history of film embarrassed by his conservative mother a farm where they are fed little and worked production and has therefore one of and his strange father, especially in front mercilessly. When Twist dares to demand the oldest film industries in the world. S of girls. Katrien and her friends Liezl and more food, Bedel beats him, then takes him The industry is growing at an exceptionally Christie decide to give Werner a taste of his to a family-run funeral home, where he starts competitive rate and competes internation- own medicine by planning to make Wimpie work as a gravedigger. He does well there, ally in areas such as providers of quality con- the new centre of the first team. Wimpie until his fellow workers grow jealous of him tent, creative workmanship, and as a service dreams of being popular, and now his dream and start trouble. Faced with returning to region. Over the past ten years could unexpectedly become a reality. It the farm, Twist chooses to run away. At a the industry has produced an array of turns out rugby is a lot harder than Karien highway rest stop, he's found by Dodger award-winning films. Some of the best and Wimpie anticipated and he almost gives who brings him to the vicious Bill Sykes local and international films to be shot up. Fortunately his unexpected popularity and his pretty girlfriend, Nancy. They take in South Africa include: Yesterday, Tsotsi, leads to friendship with school rascals Japie Twist to Cape Town, where he falls in with UCarmen Ekhayelitsha, Hotel Rwanda, and Fanie. The mischievous duo convince Fagin and his crew of young scam artists, Catch a fire, Lord of war, Blood diamond, Wimpie to keep playing rugby, even though including Charley Bates. Twist is arrested for District 9, Invictus, and many others that they're much more interested in pajama robbing an old man, but rather than press have hit international screens. parties with girls. Katrien falls unexpectedly charges, Ebrahim Bassadien, a wealthy Muslim, In this article I am reviewing a selected in love with Wimpie, until she realises he is takes Twist in and shows him a new way of few DVDs that are available in the SN merely using her. life. This is an excellent adaptation of the collection. The selection will appeal to a Dickens' classic and the best modernisation wide variety of viewers: there’s something Classification attempt to date. This is definitely worth for everyone, ranging from inspirational, Parental guidance: 13; Sex and Language. seeing! comedy, sad to historical. Encourage your Boy called Twist / producers, Aurelia Driver, users to view some of these. Awards Clare van Zyl; director, Tim Greene Official selection Festival de Cannes Tous, les Bakgat / director, Henk Pretorius Cinemas du Monde This is is a unique and modern take on Winner Best Feature Apollo Film Festival Oliver Twist, the classic Charles Dickens Bakgat is about finding yourself, despite 2005. being still in high school. The film focuses novel of a young orphan's search for love. Classification on Katrien who is dumped by her boyfriend, Twist is sent to an orphanage when his Parental guidance: Language. high school rugby star, centre Werner ‘Killer’ mother dies shortly after giving birth to Botha, so he can focus on his sport. To get him. He's given his new name by Mrs Kaapse Bibliotekaris, Mei/Junie 2012 5151 documentary focus I N KQ U B O -MB A LI s e L O

Bunny Chow / producers, Kagiso Lediga, own. There try. Faced Isaac Kaminsky, Leanne Callanan; director, is Zane, the with ever John Barker eldest, 31, mounting the twins challenges, Bunny Chow follows the raucous and often Munier and hardships ridiculous weekend journey of three stand– Marwaan and personal up comedians, who embark on a road trip (28), and turmoil, An- to Oppikoppi, South Africa’s biggest annual Reza (27), gus quickly rock festival. who is gay. spirals down Kags, Dave and Joey are three friends from One day into a life Johannesburg who want to be stand-up Abeeda goes consumed comedians but show more skill with beer- to the casino by anger, fuelled trash talk. Joey is, by South African with a friend, fear and definition, coloured; a devout yet conflicted and wins destruction Muslim. He mines his relationship with his R4,500. She but then is stunned Chinese girlfriend, Angela, for material. Dave, turns around and weaves together the mov- by the winnings, and soon finds herself going a somewhat innocent and naive ‘dishwasher’ ing life story of a man who’s manic quest for back, her addiction spiralling out of control. with dreams of making it big and whose material success is slowly transformed into She discovers Reza has Aids, and that he is a love for God and people. As he wrestles black middle-class status is the source of dying. There is also Imran, the man she has with faith, hope, natural disasters and tragic his jokes, struggles to find his groove at the loved her whole life, but who is married to personal loss (his potato crop), his faith microphone. And Kags, the most natural her sister, Zulpha. When they first met, Im- grows, unseen until the harvest. comic of the group, simply cannot keep it ran was engaged to Zulpha, but he soon fell Classification in his pants. He and girlfriend Kim are in in love with Abeeda. When her mother dies, Parental guidance: Language. constant battles over his infidelity – followed this love affair comes to an end, to avoid by their own truth and reconciliation in the scandal and not to hurt her sister who had Hansie / produced and written by Frans bedroom. The three friends decide to hit already been jilted once before. This film Cronjé; director, Regardt van den Bergh the road to attend an open-air music festival focuses on the Cape Muslim view of gam- at Oppikoppi. Joined by Kim, the four slip bling and how easily gambling can become The news of Protea cricket captain out of their normal lives for a few days with addictive. Very engrossing. Hansie Cronjé's involvement with Indian hopes of mass debauchery, drugs, rampant Awards bookmakers and his resulting public sex, true love and conquering the rock Winner Sunday Times Literary Award (The confession rocked the international sporting stages with their comedy show, but they get book) community. His unprecedented rise to a bit more than they have bargained for. Official selection DUBAI International Film glory was followed by the most horrific fall. Awards Festival Hansie, once South African cricket's golden Official selection Toronto International Film Official selection DUBLIN International Film boy, had been stripped of everything he had Festival 2006 Festival held dear: a glorious captaincy, the support of his former team mates and the respect of Official selection AFI Los Angeles Interna- Official selection MIAMI International Film his nation. In its place the stinging rejection tional Film Festival 2006 Festival of cricket administrators and the humiliating Winner Best Actor Sithengi 2006 Winner Herman Charles Bosman Prize (The dissection of his life on international Winner Lionel Ngakasi Awards Most Prom- book). television, made his retreat into depression ising Director, Sithengi Film Festival 2006 Classification inevitable. Hansie's bravest moment in Official selection Rotterdam International Parental guidance: 13; Language. finally Film Festival 2007 confessing Official selection Sydney Film Festival 2007 Faith like potatoes / producer, Frans Cronjé; his Official selection Melbourne International director, Regardt van den Bergh involvement Film Festival 2007. Faith like potatoes is based on the inspiring with bookies Classification true story about Angus Buchan, originally a had suddenly Parental guidance: 16; Sex and Language. Zambian farmer of Scottish descent, who become a leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest tightening Confessions of a gambler / producers, and racially charged land reclaims and travels noose Zaheer Bhyat and Ross Garland; director, south with his family to start a better life around Amanda Lane in the turbulent hills of the KwaZulu-Natal his neck. Midlands in South Africa. With nothing more Hansie Confessions of a gambler is about a Muslim than a caravan on a patch of land and help explores the woman, Abeeda Ariefdien. When she was from foreman Simeon Bhengu, the Buchan very human twenty-nine and nine months pregnant her family struggle to settle in a new coun- husband left her to raise four boys on her drama 5252 Cape Librarian, May/June 2012 documentary focus I N KQ U B O -MB A LI s e L O

of a man who, after losing everything he on as his own. He was saved by Percy Classification has worked for begins the painstaking from being drowned in a bucket. Though Parental guidance: Violence. journey back to choosing life. The journey offered the pick of the litter, after a night of is cathartic. We celebrate with him his contemplation he decided to stick with the Skilpoppe / producer, Roberta Durrant; glorious victories on the cricket field but little weakling. He called him Jock and it director, André Odendaal by the same token, we feel the agony of seemed as if the puppy knew that Fitzpatrick Skilpoppe tells the story of Anna Meyer, a his dishonour and the relief when he finally was his master from Day One. He even schoolgirl who has been awarded the role forgives himself, weeping in the arms of his followed him home without any coaching. of Juliet in her school production of Romeo friend and mentor, Peter Pollock. Amidst Jock was very loyal towards Percy, and brave. and Juliet. Her apparent inability to embrace the darkness of his downfall, we are inspired This was the start of many a great adven- the darker aspects of this role is a symptom by the power of his wife's unswerving love, ture. The odd little puppy grew into a great of the turmoil she is experiencing in her which shines like a beacon of hope. His and fearless dog. He was well liked, well real life – turmoil caused by her gay older journey takes us to South Africa, India and respected brother’s suicide a few months earlier. The England and his team's fiercest battles and well be- story traces her attempt to hold her family against the mighty Australians. The movie haved. He together while ensuring that she herself is enlivened through the cultural diversity lived out his does not fall apart. of its backdrop, with the colours of India, life at Percy’s The Meyer family’s inability to deal with its rambling buildings and beautiful sunsets, side with their tragedy leads to repressed emotions adding a notable poignancy to the drama. unwavering and literal flight from the problem. Anna’s Like us, Hansie is both glorious and flawed loyalty and parents leave for a European trip while her and, like him, we recognise our need for his loving older sister, Elise, seeks the blissful void of acceptance and love. Hansie is a movie memory in- the drug, crack. that will captivate with its human drama, spired many Anna is left to contend with Elise’s its action-packed sequences and its riveting a bedtime downward spiral and the presence of her match-fixing intrigue. But above all, the story to shady boyfriend, Julian. Her strongest ally is movie will reassure you of the ability of us Percy’s three Ching-Kung – her brother’s Taiwanese lover all to overcome life's difficulties with grace children. – whose presence is strongly resented by and dignity. However, her parents. it was only when Fitzpatrick had made his Classification As Anna tries to hold the family together, fortune, settled down to have a family and Parental guidance. the rehearsal process of playing Juliet serves become an established and well-respected as a catalyst for her own buried feelings of Jock of the Bushveld / producer, Duncan member of society that he took pen to guilt and remorse to come to the surface. MacNeillie; director, Gray Hofmeyr paper at the urging of his children and Add to her dilemma a burgeoning romance shared these delightful tales with the rest of with her real-life Romeo, and Anna soon Jock of the Bushveld is a true story by the world. realises that even though she tries to display South African author Sir James Percy Jock had permanently lost his hearing maturity beyond her years, she is only a Fitzpatrick. The book (and the film) tells when a Kudu cow kicked him and Fitzpatrick seventeen-year-old girl – a girl who is not of Fitzpatrick's travels with his dog, Jock, gave him to a friend until he had a safer coping. The return of her parents and her a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, during the place for him to live in town, as he wasn’t opening 1880s, when he worked as a storeman, safe in traffic and amongst people as a result night forces prospector's assistant, journalist and ox- of being deaf. The friend, Ted, loaned Jock to Anna to wagon transport-rider in the Bushveld a store-owner Tom Barnett, who was having confront her of the Transvaal (the then South African trouble with thieves and kraal dogs. Jock own role in Republic). could not hear Barnett when he called him, her brother’s Not long into his career as a transport and was mistakenly shot, because he was suicide and rider, one of Fitzpatrick's companion’s dogs thought to be the dog killing chickens on the sets the had a litter of puppies. She was a well- farm (yet Jock had actually already killed the stage for an respected Bull Terrier trail dog, though intruding dog). emotion- somewhat unattractive, and she had been Jock of the Bushveld was first published in ally cathartic covered by a pedigree Staffordshire Bull 1907 when it became an instant best-seller finale. Terrier. Five of her six pups were the and a local classic. Since then it has never Skilpoppe epitome of their breeding. However, one been out of print and it has been the subject taps into the of them was a runt, weedy, ill-proportioned of at least one great South African film. zeitgeist of and the victim of constant sibling attacks. There is also a statue dedicated to this the South African youth – where tragedy is Since the runt had not been spoken for, most faithful companion in front of the a part of life and growing up can be a brutal Percy came upon the idea of taking him Barberton Town Hall in Mpumalanga. but beautiful experience. Kaapse Bibliotekaris, Mei/Junie 2012 5353 documentary focus I N KQ U B O -MB A LI s e L O

Classification Darrell James Roodt Winner Venice Film Festival: Human Rights Parental guidance: 16. Film Award Yesterday is a movie about a young Zulu Winner Leleti Khumalo Special Jury Award, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha / producer and mother called Yesterday who discovers she Sithengi Film Festival director, Mark Dornford-May has AIDS. Winner Best Picture Pune International Film Yesterday is plagued by a persistent cough Festival U-Carmen is based on Georges Bizet's and feelings of weakness. She goes to the 19th-century opera and was filmed on loca- Official selection London Film Festival local clinic, only to be turned away at the Official selection International Film Festival tion in Khayelitsha, a modern South African end of the day without having seen the township. The energy, compassion, and heat of India doctor. When her daughter Beauty finds her Nomination Best Foreign Language Film, of township mother collapsed on the doorstep of their life in all its Independent Flimmaker Project Spirit Award home, her mother's teacher friend insists she Official selection Toronto Film Festival. elements return to the clinic. Classification create a The doctor who sees Yesterday asks Parental guidance. constantly her where she got her name from, and visually Yesterday explains that her father named interesting her Yesterday because ‘he said things were and dynamic better yesterday than today’. The doctor background tells Yesterday that she has AIDS and that for the un- she probably got it from her husband, who is folding of the a migrant mine labourer. story, which She travels to the mine where her hus- owes part band works to tell him the news and to tell of its huge him that he is also sick. He reacts to this popularity to news very badly and beats her up. the thrilling combination of a violent gang- Yesterday returns home and tries to con- ster tale with a passionate, almost super- tinue living her life as best she can. She asks natural love story. As it unfolds, it explores her teacher issues of fame and wealth, the position of a friend to strong and independently minded woman in take care a very masculine society and, perhaps most of Beauty importantly, the incomprehensible attrac- when she tion between abuser and victim. Bizet's dies. A few opera, based on Prosper Merimée's novel, months later premiered in Paris on 3 March 1875. Set in her husband a poor area of Seville, the story of comes the magnetic woman who seduces, loves, home to her and ultimately destroys her lover and herself after being . . . Carmen is one of the best known and fired. He is widely loved of all operas. very ill from Some people see opera as a rather distant AIDS-related and high-brow entertainment. This film is illnesses and quite a different experience! The singing is begs Yesterday's forgiveness for blaming her sublime, the acting dramatic and filled with and for beating her for telling him the truth. energy and enthusiasm. The location is grim Yesterday and Beauty take care of him as and poor whilst brimming with life. well as they can until he dies. I'd recommend it to anybody who loves Yesterday's focus then falls on prepar- music, enjoys a spectacle or is interested in ing Beauty for school. She never went to South Africa - well, Cape Town, or this part school, so her single goal becomes living long of Cape Town. enough to be able to see Beauty attend. Awards When the doctor tells her she has a Winner Best Film Golden Bear 55, Interna- strong body that keeps the illness somewhat tionale Filmfestspiele Berlin. under control, she replies it's not the body Classification but her mind. Yesterday sees her daughter Not available. start her first day at school. Awards Yesterday / producer, Anant Singh; director, 5454 Cape Librarian, May/June 2012