Gauteng on the world film map
Following Tuesday's announcement of the 2010 nominations for the Academy Awards, with South African-linked films scoring an all-time high of 6 nominations (4 for District 9 and 2 for Invictus), and with District 9 already having garnered 7 nominations for the BAFTAs, South Africa is undoubtedly on the world film map. This growing international recognition and acceptance is positive news for Gauteng, with all of District 9, part of Invictus as well as award-winner Skin, having been filmed in the province.
Terry Tselane, CEO of the Gauteng Film Commission, says active promotion of the Province is now paying off, not only with regard to a film location but also as a source of talent, excellent crew, production skills and stories.
"We are thrilled that Gauteng-linked and supported projects are receiving so much attention. District 9 was filmed entirely in Gauteng – in Kliptown and Tshiawelo in Soweto and around downtown Johannesburg – and crews shooting in Soweto have enthused how welcoming and supportive Soweto residents are. It's become a popular location for both international and local filmmakers, which is not surprising as it has so much to offer."
He added that having heavyweights such as Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman (Oscar nomination for Best Actor in Invictus) and Matt Damon (Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Invictus) working with the local industry is a ringing endorsement of the country and the Province.
For the GFC, what's also rewarding is to see that South African audiences are flocking to movie houses to see their stories. Skin, the true-life story of SA's Sandra Laing, became the number one film on the Cinema Nouveau circuit during its first weekend of release. The film, which has already won 16 awards around the globe, pulled in just under R200 000 at the box office (22 – 24 January 2010) although it was released only in selected cinemas (11 prints) around the country.
Sophie Okonedo, who acts as Sandra Laing, was recently nominated for the Best Actress Award at the Black Reel Awards 2010, which spotlight the best African-American performances in theatrical, independent and television films, as well as for the NAACP Image Awards while the film also received a nomination for the NAACP Image Awards Best Foreign Film category. The NAACP Image Awards are presented annually by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of colour in film, television, music and literature. The Black Reel Awards winners will be announced on 12 February and the NAACP Awards on 26 February 2010.
The film has already won 16 awards from around the world, including: the Audience Award for Best Film at the Santa Barbara Film festival; Best Narrative and Best Jury Awards at the Pan African Film Festival; Audience Award at the Afrika Film Festival, Belgium; Audience Award at the AFI Dallas; Best Feature Film at the Palm Beach International Film Festival 2009; and Circle Audience Award at the Film Fest DC, Washington DC. With so many potential awards in the offing and the spotlight this will put on South Africa, the rest of this month and March promises to be an exciting one for SA viewers, who’ll be glued to their screens, particularly on 21 February (BAFTAs) and 7 March (Academy Awards). With the long lead-time from filming to appearing on the screen ( Skin for example was filmed in Gauteng in 2008), and the impact of the global downturn, what's the outlook for the local Gauteng industry moving forward? Looking beyond award season, Tselane says: "All indications are that despite the low production season in winter 2009 in Gauteng, the summer months are currently busy in Johannesburg, indicating that 2010 will be a good production year for the Province."
For media enquiries or additional media information, please contact GFC's Jacques Stoltz or call +27 (0)11 833 0409 or +27 (0)83 455 9688.
