On the heels of 12 festival appearances around the world and six awards, Inside Story will make its broadcast debut in South Africa on 8 December. The feature film will also see numerous theatrical and broadcast premieres across sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon and Congo-Brazzaville, in December.
Inside Story features an all-star, pan-African cast in a compelling story of football, love, and HIV/AIDS. The film, produced by the non-profit Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership in conjunction with South Africa’s Quizzical Pictures, shows audiences both football and HIV in a way they have never seen before. Sophisticated cameras captured the sports action at 1,000 frames/second while state-of-the-art animation brings HIV to life from the inside out.
The film is available in English, French, Swahili and Portuguese, and will reach audiences across the continent through a multi-pronged distribution effort, including a World AIDS Day 2012 premiere on 1 December at Silverbird Cinemas in Lagos, Nigeria – followed by theatrical screenings beginning 14 December at eight Silverbird Cinemas across Nigeria; a world broadcast premiere on SABC1 in South Africa on Saturday 8 December at 20h00; Ugandan broadcast premiere on NTV in December; Cameroonian broadcast premiere in French on Canal 2 in December; Congo-Brazzaville broadcast premiere on MN CON starting in December; Digital distribution and community-based efforts beginning in April 2013.
“Inside Story, like all good stories, contains a lesson for all of us – something that makes this much more than entertainment,’ said Aric Noboa, executive producer and president of the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership. “Through committed distribution partners, including SABC, Silverbird, NTV, Canal 2 and MN CON, digital efforts through SEACOM and grassroots outreach, we will be entertaining audiences across Africa wherever and however they consume media.’
Directed by Rolie Nikiwe (Tsha Tsha, The Lab, Intersexions) and filmed in Kenya and South Africa, Inside Story stars Kevin Ndege Mamboleo (Changing Times) as Kalu, a gifted footballer who moves from rural Kenya to urban Johannesburg to follow his dream and support his family. His path becomes more challenging when he falls in love with the coach’s daughter, Ify (Kendra Etufunwa), and subsequently finds out he is HIV-positive.
Mamboleo and Etufunwa (Jacob’s Cross) are joined by international stars including Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Hotel Rwanda, 24) as Kalu’s mentor and tough-as-nails coach, Fana Mokoena (Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda) as the ruthless team owner, and Regina-Re as Kalu’s mother, Miriam.
“I am extremely proud to have worked with a great cast and innovative producers to bring Inside Story to so many across Africa,’ said Nikiwe. “The performances are powerful and the message is clear – knowledge is power.’
Inside Story already has dazzled audiences at 12 international film festivals and has been hailed by LA Weekly as “a rousing success’. Additionally, the film received a Jury Award at the Kenya International Film Festival, won Zuku Awards for Best African Film and Best Actor (for star Kevin Ndege Mamboleo) at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, was given a Special Jury Award – Narrative Feature at the Pan African Film Festival, and was named Best Narrative Feature at the Montreal International Black Film Festival.
The film was produced with the support of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Chevron, Discovery Communications, Access Bank, the South African Department of Trade and Industry, SEACOM and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The trailer for the film and regular updates on the project can be found at insidestorythemovie.org and facebook.com/insidestory.
