The Namibian-South African co-production Taste of Rain, written and directed by Richard Pakleppa, will have its world premiere at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) on Tuesday, 24 July at the Sun Coast A Cinema at 18h00.
Set on a Namibian Desert farm, Taste of Rain is the story of one woman’s journey through drought, loss and love to healing.
The film will compete for the Best South African Feature Film Award at DIFF as well as for the Audience Choice Award.
Taste of Rain is award-winning documentary filmmaker Pakleppa’s feature film debut. The film was produced by Bridget Pickering of Luna Films in South Africa and Oliver Stoltz of Dreamer Joint Venture in Germany, together with Pakleppa and his On Land Productions in Namibia.
Pickering’s producing credits include the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda and the African Movie Academy Award winner uGugu noAndile. Stoltz produced the Oscar-short listed Life, Above All which won seven SAFTASs and the Best Actress Award at DIFF 2010. This film was also South Africa’s entry into the Oscars.
In Taste of Rain a seven-year drought beats down mercilessly on Rachel (played by two-time 2012 Fleur du cap winner Nicola Hanekom) and her husband, Tomas (award-winning South African actor Grant Swanby), forcing him to leave her on the farm as he searches for water and grazing for their animals. When Ray, a water diviner, arrives at the farm, sent by the drought relief programme, Rachel is angry and dismissive. For her, it’s too little, too late. But Ray (Pope Jerrod) is fascinated by the broken woman he meets. He is an ex-guerilla from Namibia’s liberation movement, with his own stories of end-of-the-road drought. As an attraction develops between them, Rachel begins to feel herself again. She falls in love and believes she’s found an answer to living. But a chance meeting with Shaanika (David Ndjavera), a torturer who worked for the South African side during Namibia’s liberation war, injects a chilling reality into the unfolding love story.
The film was shot with a top Namibian-South African-Zimbabwean-Belgian crew and cast, including DOP Matthys Mocke (State of Violence), editor Catherine Meyburgh (Yizo Yizo, uGugu noAndile) and composer Braam du Toit (Tornado and The Kalahari Horse Whisperer).
