South African feature film Lucky, releasing in local cinemas at the end of July, has been adapted from an award-winning short film.
British director and scriptwriter Avie Luthra wrote a script for the feature film Lucky after the success of his 2005 short film of the same name, which won 42 international awards and was nominated for a BAFTA and shortlisted for an Academy Award.
The idea for the short film came while he was living in rural KwaZulu-Natal in 2003. “At a funeral I saw a little boy crying over the grave of his mother who had suffered from Aids. The starting point for the film was me wondering what would happen to him. It was quite a potent moment.’
“At that time there was also a lot of heat about the relationship between Africans and Indians in Durban. I had this idea for a story of a boy coming into the city after his mother died and meeting an old Indian woman. It’s not an Aids orphan story – Lucky just happens to be an Aids orphan. It’s really a story about parenthood and the bonding between communities that were separated by Apartheid for many years,’ says Luthra.
The feature is produced by South Africa’s Out of Africa Entertainment and executive producer Christopher Wilmot’s US-based How Town Film Production, with funding from independent investors in South Africa and the US.
“Once the funding came together with the support of producer Lance Samuels from Out of Africa and the Department of Trade and Industry, it all happened very swiftly,’ says Luthra.
A question of trust
In the feature film 10-year old Lucky travels to Durban after his mother’s death because he dreams of going to school. After his uncle mistreats him and stops him from going to school, he is taken in by Padma – an elderly Indian woman who distrusts black people – as she would take in a stray dog.
Lucky was shot over 26 days in March and April 2010 and was moved away from the Durban setting of the short film. “This was mostly because it was financially more expedient for us to shoot in Johannesburg. I think it would have cost us R1m or R2m more to shoot in Durban,’ explains Luthra.
They spent a lot of time on finding the right locations and casting. Says Luthra: “I knew we had to go to India to find an actress with the right experience to play the role of Padma. We eventually found Jayashree Basavra who is a renowned theatre actress and also a member of the Indian parliament.’
Casting agent Moonyeenn Lee found Sihle Dhlamini, the young actor who portrays Lucky. “He just really stuck out among the kids we looked at,’ says Luthra. “Sihle was quite extraordinary because he just always, emotionally, knew where to be in any scene. He’s an incredibly instinctive actor.’
To get a natural performance out of Dhlamini, Luthra tried to keep instructions very simple and to build a bond of trust. This was complicated by the fact that Dhlamini didn’t speak English at the time.
“I don’t speak Zulu, so I had work with the other actors and rely on them,’ notes Luthra. “I was quite gentle with Sihle – it was a tough gig for him as he had to work for 26 days. We made sure he was comfortable and very well supported, but it did take a lot out of him.’
No room for error
Luthra says while they had “incredible’ support from Out of Africa, no film is easy to shoot. “With low budget films you really don’t have any room for error – I knew I couldn’t come back and do reshoots, so each day was all or nothing.
“We were also moving locations every single day for about a week, which just drained the resources out of a small shoot. But I don’t think the challenges were any different from other low budget shoots.’
Director of photography Willie Nel shot the film on an Arriflex D-21 in high definition, with a muted palette in terms of set design, lighting and costumes.
“It was important for me not to make a film which was beautiful – I avoided vistas and big open spaces. I wanted to capture a level of realism and not glamorise the poverty,’ says Luthra.
“I was interested in a sort of European style of filmmaking that’s very handheld and very real – we only used a tripod once – rather than the American style that is very controlled and glossy and makes you feel at ease. I wanted the audience to feel that they’re seeing something they haven’t seen before and also feel slightly uncomfortable in this world.’
The film, which also stars Vusi Kunene and James Ngcobo, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011. “That was a big highlight,’ notes Luthra. “We were listed in the top 20 films of the festival alongside big 2011 films like The Descendants and The Artist.’
Lucky won Best Film at the Bengaluru International Film Festival, Best Crossover Film at the London Asian Film Festival and a Special Mention Award at the Cape Winelands Film Festival. Jayashree Basavaraj also won Best Actress at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival against well-known actresses such as Mia Farrow and Keira Knightley. “That was quite a mark of acceptance,’ notes Luthra.
The film releases at 15 theatres across South Africa on 20 July and will release on the US art house cinema circuit in September / October this year.
By Linda Loubser
Screen Africa magazine – July 2012
