South African Film Industry: Highlights
great beginnings
South Africa started making movies at the beginning of the 20th century: the era of silent movies. American director, DW Griffiths made ‘Birth of a Nation’ and films about the Voortrekkers were produced.
The first South African film with sound was ‘Moedertjie’ in 1933. South Africa grew along with the international film industry because Kilarney Studios in Johannesburg was actually a satellite 20th Century Fox study.
The movie, ‘Ruiter in die Nag’, in 1963 it was shot with a zoom lens, which in those days was the great discovery that was screwed onto a Mitchell camera. The only other film to use it was the American blockbuster ‘The Robe’, starring Richard Burton and produced by 20th Century Fox. With this cross-pollination, the South African film industry kept up with the international experience.
our golden globe
In the early 1960s, the Germans started making movies here. They also did TV shows, because http://www.prinzproductions.co.za/aboutus.html%C2%94″>production was much cheaper. England also jumped on the bandwagon, making the film, ‘Zulu’ with actors Stanley Baker and Jake Hawkins, which became a famous classic, still shown around the world today. Actors, Richard Todd and Sydney James starred in the film Tokolosh. The Americans made ‘The Naked Prey’ a Paramount movie starring Cornell Wilde and South African star Gert van den Bergh. south african movie, ‘katrina’ directed by Jans Rautenbach won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1968. During this decade, we made one of our best films, ‘Die Kandidat’that makes a comment on our political history and has stood the test of time.
‘The Wild Season’, a South African film made in 1965, did very well here in 1966 and was sold directly to the Japanese for the ridiculous sum of R40,000. He went on to make millions in Japan and take home $14 million internationally. Late ’60s on-camera hit with Jamie Uys, who directed, ‘Handsome people’, a documentary film that did exceptionally well abroad; especially in Japan and Germany.
the australian connection
When the Australians came to South Africa to make the film breaker morant, approached a South African company to co-produce, requesting 50% funding. Unfortunately the offer was rejected. ‘Breaker Morant’ went ahead to become one of the true hits of the Australian film industry. There was a lot of Australian awareness around that time with the ‘Peter Weir’ movies. It was the early 1970s and Australia was hurtling onto the movie map. South Africa could have been there with them.
Gods Must Be Crazy
‘The gods must be crazy’, directed by jamie oops in the early 1980s it was a big hit in Germany. In fact, there was a cinema in Stuttgart that showed the film continuously for years. It was also huge in Japan. They flew the Bushman star, Xau to Japan, where he was revered as a great star. Quite overwhelming for someone who had spent his entire life in a straw hut in the rural side of northeastern Namibia.
a second beginning
The South African film industry entered the Oscar map when Darryl Rood’s film ‘Yesterday’ was nominated for Best Foreign Film in 2005. Oscar-winning South African actress, Charleze Theron She has also been instrumental in keeping our name alive, as she always mentions South Africa. When ‘tsotsi’ directed by Gavin Hood won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2006. The dye was cast! South Africa seems to be the flavor of the decade and let’s hope it continues for a century, not just a couple of years.
Veteran actor and film director Regardt van den Bergh comments: “We are entering a season where South African films are being viewed with interest. People enjoy watching our stories and we are having several successes, not only with feature films, but also with our short films. This year we had a short film at the Cannes Film Festival made by AFDA students, which was very well received. The doors are opening more and more.
Sustainable development
>From the government side, things are closer. Tea IDCand the NTVA they are inspiring young people to generate ideas and get something off the ground. The IDC will give 50% of the money to make a movie if they decide it’s a good idea. You have to repay the money with interest but they don’t take 50% of the film. It’s a good deal!
Now it’s time to create a sustainable, successfulfilm industry that makes money for the producers and the various people involved: that also makes progress in terms of the stories we tell. We have some really amazing stories, not unlike the overseas stories, but they have a different flavor that makes them unique.
Northcoming Attractions
This year Ester Kinekor will throw three South African movies: ‘Ouma se slim kind’, directed by Gustav Kuhn. ‘Faith like Potatoes’ directed by Regardt van den Berg and ‘Running Riot’ written by the versatile actor and writer Bill Flynn. “The lamb” a South African film written and produced, with a international cast Y international distribution will be shot in Morocco in 2006, directed by the South African Regardt van den Berg. A new season of hits is on the way!