Grade 12 pupils from disadvantaged areas in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape will have the chance to see Skin, Anthony Fabian’s biopic of Sandra Laing, the black woman born to white Afrikaner parents during apartheid. This campaign is a pilot programme from the National Film and Video Foundation’s (NFVF) audience development initiative. The programme will be extended to other regions in the future.
According to the NFVF, the purpose of the exercise is to not only promote Skin, which is currently on the local cinema circuit, but also to make South Africans aware of local productions and expose cinema to South Africans at a young age. The NFVF’s theme for this year is “Taking Cinema to the People’.
Says NFVF CEO Eddie Mbalo: “”Skin is the kind of film and story that needs to be told, that our country needs to hear, our citizens need to interact with, and our schools need to prescribe to our learners.’
Terrence Khumalo, NFVF Special Projects Manager, adds: “We decided to launch this campaign as part of our audience development and also to reach out and expose kids from disadvantaged schools and areas to local cinemas.’
The first screenings of Skin will take place on Thursday 11 February. The NFVF will subsidise the ticket prices for the schools and cover all the traveling costs to the screening venues.
Schools that have confirmed participation include; Fidelitas Sec School in Soweto, Mabuya Sec School – Daveyton, Eastbank Sec School – Alexandra, Bedforview High School – Bedfordview, Madiba High School – Kagiso, Solomon Mahlangu Sec School – Mamelodi, JG Zuma Sec School – Kwamashu and I.D. Mkhize Fucus School in Gugulethu.
Starring Award-winning Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill, Alice Krige, Tony Kgoroge and Ella Ramangwane, Skin is produced by Anthony Fabian, Genevieve Hofmeyr and Margaret Matheson, and directed by Anthony Fabian. The film’s release in South Africa is officially distributed by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), and supported by The History Channel, Ster-Kinekor, United Independent Pictures (UIP) and Mail & Guardian.
In addition to the movie Skin, the documentary on Sandra Laing’s life called Skin Deep premiered on The History Channel (254 on DSTV) on Sunday January 24th at 20:30.
