FILM NEWS

Heist film – Durban style

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:53

John Barker

31 Million Reasons is a new South African film by John Barker and will be released this month by Nu Metro Films. Based on Naresh Veerna’s book of the same name it tells the story of an unexpected haul from a bank heist in Durban.

Producer Ross Garland (Spud, u-Carmen eKhayelitsha, Big Fellas) of Rogue Star Films explains that he was inspired by an article he read in the Natal Mercury about the bank heist.

“It struck a cord because I had wanted to make a heist film and a movie set in the Indian community of Durban. I read 31 Million Reasons and thought Naresh Veerna had created highly entertaining characters and dialogue on top of the original true story of the heist.

“There are very few genre-based films in South Africa. This is especially true of action or heist films. The challenge with this film was to find the core creative team who would best realise the potential of the book, namely screenwriter Lev David and director John Barker,” says Garland.

The screenplay was developed for over a year. Garland was introduced to David through the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). “He is a very bright guy who has succeeded as a writer in other formats,” continues Garland. “We had to concentrate on ironing out the kinks in the story. Although the film is a fictionalised account of the true events of the massive heist in 1997, the actual heist is something of a legend in Durban. This gives the film more resonance than a completely fictional story.”

Investors

The film was developed through Rogue Star Films’ slate with the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) which was one of the major investors.

“The Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) rebate contributed to a big portion of the budget and the balance was from production companies involved in the investment of Spud.

“Refinery and Media Film Service also come to the party to make the film happen at the budget level we needed,” explains Garland.

Plans are to submit 31 Million Reasons to film festivals all over the world. Garland and Barker have already received some invites from festivals.

“2012 is about finding the right launch pad for the film internationally and with the right partner. It is a unique South African film in that the main characters are Indian but it’s not Bollywood in style. We are very interested to see if it plays in India and in some of the big Indian ex-pat communities like the UK,” comments Garland.

Immediate attraction

Barker explains that when he came on board he was immediately attracted to the story. “I also loved the script. I grew up in Durban and have always wanted to make a film there.

“Ross Garland was also a big draw card as I have wanted to work with him for a while. Our crew was just fantastic and we were able to cast great local actors such as Jack Devnarain, Meren Reddy and Rahul Brijnath,” says Barker.

The musical score and tracks in the film were used to set the mood. Kesivan Naidoo and Ross MacDonald of HeyPappa Studios in Cape Town scored the film, with the music for the opening credits by Australian band Bombay Royale. The film also features the music of ‘great local bands’ like Tumi and The Volume, Goldfish and Khuli Chana.

Indian-centric

Barker elaborates that it was great to set the film in the Indian community as it has such a rich, vibrant history and culture.

“I think the film is highly entertaining and will attract both an Indian audience and a wider one. Durban also has a wonderful range of architectural styles with the world’s highest concentration of Art Deco buildings. The opening credit sequence is shot on the Esplanade which is lined with tall palms and is characterised by an eclectic range of architectural styles,” comments Barker.

The other aspect Barker wanted to portray was the humidity of Durban as he believes that the heat has a way of influencing the characters’ behaviour. He says: “The heat puts them under added pressure and forces them to behave uncharacteristically.”

Barker’s colour palette borrowed from the existing colours, religious deities and traditions of the Indian community. As the film is set in Durban’s underworld the film’s grade is ‘gritty and a little dirty but very sexy’.

31 Million Reasons was shot on the Canon 5D. “Goran Music of Visual Impact really gave us a great deal on a beautiful set of Zeiss prime lenses. This made it possible for us to give the picture a filmic look as we opted for long lenses,” notes Barker.

Barker and Garland believe that the South African film industry is growing and showing signs of maturity.

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