Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky), the first feature film directed by Madoda Ncayiyana, won the coveted DIKALO Best Feature Film prize at the International Pan African Film Festival, held in Cannes, France, from 1 – 5 April 2009.
Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) follows the story of two young children who journey to the city from their rural homestead after their mother’s death. The film features a cast of mainly young children who had never acted professionally before, discovered through extensive casting by the director, from the townships, informal settlements of eThekwini Municipality to the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
Written by Julie Frederikse and Madoda Ncayiyana, the film is produced by Dv8 Films and co-produced by Vuleka Productions.
Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the SABC, Ster-Kinekor Distribution, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Rebate, INK and the French film fund, Fonds Images Afrique.
Jeremy Nathan, Producer for Dv8 Films, praised the film‘s director Madoda Ncayiyana: “Madoda is extremely compassionate and has brought a charm to the story unseen in South African films.”
“We’re thrilled to see My Secret Sky being awarded”, said Ryan Haidarian, Head of New Ventures at the National Film and Video Foundation.
“It is very exciting for the national broadcaster to be part of such authentic, beautiful work,” said Kethiwe Ngcobo, Head of Drama at SABC. “It’s wonderful to see that the world appreciates this work too.”
Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) will be distributed by Ster-Kinekor Distribution nationwide in South Africa starting in August 2009. The film will be available on DVD through Ster-Kinekor Home Entertainment shortly thereafter. It will be broadcast on SABC towards the end of the year.
