Manifesto Films (Northern Ireland) in association with Pistoleros Films (South Africa) and the newly formed feature film company, Jet Black Entertainment (South Africa), are currently in production with the South African part of the Independent Irish / South African feature film, The Good Man.
Phil Harrison, whose short film, Even Gods, won awards at last year’s Belfast, Galway and Cork film festivals, is the writer and director. The Good Man is the story of a young Irishman wrought with guilt after causing a stranger’s death in a car accident. In an attempt to appease his guilt he begins to sponsor a teenager in a South African township – but the impact of his misguided generosity is far greater and more tragic than he could ever have imagined.
In 2009, Irish director Harrison met South African filmmaker Roy Zetisky while he was in Cape Town researching and writing The Good Man. Harrison saw Zetisky’s Best Cinematographer VUKA! Award winner, coupled with a short film that he had just completed with his mentorship filmmakers. Harrison knew he had found his South African
Director of Photography. Harrison was also keen for Zetisky to produce and use the production for his mentorship programme, thus giving some young South African filmmakers the opportunity to work on an International film. Since then Zetisky has put together an amazing team of talent and Harris has gathered a star-studded cast including Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, The Wire), Kelly Campbell (One Hundred Mornings), Jonathan Harden (Small Island, Five Minutes of Heaven), Lalor Roddy (Hunger), Thabang Sidloyi (The Beneficiary) and Thomas Gumede (Otelo Burning).
Working with Zetisky as part of the South African production team are three of his partners in Jet Black Entertainment. Partner, Vuks Ngcingwana (The Prayer, The Bible) who is also known for his superb acting, as one of the Top 8 in the TV show Class Act, is the Line Producer. Associate Producer, Susana Kennedy known for her action thriller, Night Drive, and Jet Black’s production wizard, Colin Cash are production mentors. Line Producer, Vuks Ngcingwana is driving the production of the film, under Zetisky’s supervision.
One of Zetisky’s other successful mentorees, township filmmaker and director, Sakhumzi Mati, is the trainee director and local cultural and language advisor, working closely with Harrison. As part of the project mentorship, township editor Solly Zilani is also being mentored by editor Paul Speirs, of the New Creation Collective, who is editing the South African part of the film. Some of Seton Bailey’s F.I.L.M. program mentorship students are also on board.
Says Zetisky: “It gives me great pleasure to give all my mentored filmmakers a leg up the ladder on this production and I am thankful to Phil for supporting this process. I am also excited to be working with such an amazing production team and such passionate filmmakers, on this exceptional screenplay. It’s also wonderful to be launching our new feature company, Jet Black Entertainment, with such a prestigious project.’
Harrison adds: “It is very exciting to be coming to Cape Town to film the second part of the film, having completed filming in Belfast in early January. To be rooted in the local community and engaged with local cast and crew is everything this project is about. It is a thrill to be partnering with Pistoleros and their local team to do something genuinely different.’
