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Bang Bang Club scores Genie noms

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:20

The Bang Bang Club, the true story of four South African photographers on the frontline of apartheid, has been nominted for seven Canadian Film and TV Awards at the 32nd Annual Genie Awards.

This Canadian-South African production was directed by Emmy Award winner Steven Silver, a South African writer, director and producer.

The Genie nominations are:
Best Art Direction/Production Design – Emelia Weavind
Best Cinematography – Miroslaw Baszak
Best Direction – Steven Silver
Best Music - Original Score, Philip Miller
Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role –Taylor Kitsch
Best Overall Sound – Lou Solakofski, Stephan Carrier, Kirk Lynds
Best Adapted Screenplay – Steven Silver

The Genie Awards will be announced in Toronto on Thursday, 8 March.

The Bang Bang Club tells the story of photojournalists Ken Oosterbroek, Kevin Carter, Joγo Silva and Greg Marinovich who became renowned for documenting the violence in the townships in the turbulent period between 1990 and 1994, leading up to South Africa’s first democratic elections.

The film is based on the autobiography The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War, co-written by Marinovich and Silva.

Vancouver-based actor Taylor Kitsch received a Genie nomination for his role as Kevin Carter, the supremely talented but troubled photographer who committed suicide 14 months after winning the Pulitzer Prize for photography.

“The Bang Bang Club has been a hit with audiences and critics alike,” says Lance Samuels, head of Out of Africa and the producer of the film. “It’s a great honour for a South African co-production, which tells the story of a tumultuous and significant time in South Africa’s history, to receive this level of recognition from such an esteemed industry body.”

“The film combines action and drama and pays tribute to the bravery of photojournalists,” says Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution, the South African distributor. “What’s really noteworthy about the Genie nominations is that it places the film right up there with Jean-Marc Vallιe’s Cafι de Flore, which received 13 nominations and David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, which received 11 nominations. It’s a great achievement for a great South African film.”

The Bang Bang Club is available in South Africa on DVD.

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