Afrikaans cinemagoers can look forward to two new films due for release in the new year, Semi-Soet and Pretville.
Semi-Soet is a romantic comedy which is the first local film of its genre in decades. The story was conceptualised by Anel Alexander, James Alexander, Joshua Rous and Sandra Vaughn, and is written by Vaughn.
The film is directed by Joshua Rous (City Ses’la) and produced by the Alexanders’ company Scramble Productions.
It stars Anel Alexander (Discreet, 7de Laan, Binnelanders), Nico Panagio (Susanna van Biljon, Survivor), Diaan Lawrenson (7de Laan, Stander), Paul du Toit (Liefling, Binnelanders), Louw Venter (The Most Amazing Show), and Sandra Vaughn (Getroud Met Rugby).
The film tells the story of self-confessed workaholic Jaci van Jaarsveld, a young woman who will go to any lengths to protect the boutique advertising agency for which she works from being bought and dismantled by a ruthless businessman known as “The Jackal’. She hopes that a huge contract to market a prestigious wine farm internationally will save the agency, but winning this contract will be no simple matter.
Jaci needs to convince the owner that she embodies his estate’s ideals of family values and commitment. Desperate to appear to be living the balanced life she has long rejected, Jaci convinces a dropdead gorgeous man who she finds standing outside the modelling agency on the floor below her offices to be her fake fiance for the day. As her plan unfolds, it seems that she is winning the client’s approval, but when she is forced to spend a weekend with her beau at the wine farm, things start to go awry – with some hilarious consequences.
The film was shot in Gauteng and the Western Cape, on the wine estate Vrede en Lust.
“We wanted to make something different from the norm,’ says Anel Alexander, Semi-Soet producer and female lead. “It’s a film in which the humour and the characters are intelligent, aspirational and sexy. The locations are integral too. The gorgeous beauty of the Cape and the trendy metropolitan vibe of Johannesburg really come to life, both putting the film into another category altogether.’
The second film on the slate is Pretville, a rollicking Afrikaans musical set in the 50s and produced by Hartiwood Films, the team behind the hugely successful 2010 hit Liefling. In the small, bright and vibrant town of Pretville, anything is possible and lots of interesting things happen all the time.
More than 20 brand new 50s-style Afrikaans songs have been composed for the film by internationally acclaimed composer and songwriter Machiel Roets, who has worked as musical director on pantomimes and musicals in London for more than 12 years. The film will be produced by Paul Kruger and directed by Linda Korsten.
“Pretville represents another new and exciting direction for Afrikaans filmmaking,’ says Korsten. “From rock “n roll to doo-wop, the film’s music harks back to an era that had charm and romance in bucket loads. Pretville is sure to have audiences singing along. In the tradition of Grease and Hairspray, it’s wildly colourful and stylish. It’s also big on costumes, with a wardrobe and sumptuous set design never before seen in a local movie. And because it’s set in the 50s, audiences will also be able to feast their eyes on a collection of classic vintage cars.’
In the lead are Marlee van der Merwe (Liefling), newcomer Eugene Jensen and Marno van der Merwe (Longshot). Also starring in the film is Terence Bridgett as a flamboyant hairdresser and Pierre Lukuveer as the mayor of Pretville. Other well-known stars appearing in the film include Annette Engelbrecht, Lizz Meiring, Steve Hofmeyr, Rina Nienaber, Emo Adams, Margit Meyer-Rodenbeck, Willem Botha, Sanet Ackerman, Kevin Leo and Jakkie Louw, as well as a line-up of fresh, young talent.
Semi-Soet is scheduled for release in February 2012, while Pretville will release in November next year.
Both films are distributed by Indigenous Film Distribution. “It’s wonderful to see the new breed of Afrikaans films that are being produced,’ says Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution. “The focus is on entertainment and there’s no question that the industry is making great progress in driving quality and production values.’
