New Afrikaans-language film Faan se Trein (Faan’s Train), produced by Helena
Spring and directed by Koos Roets, screens from 24 January nationwide in South
Africa.
Faan se Trein, originally a stage production written by Pieter Fourie, first
premiered in 1975 in Cape Town and was an immediate theatrical and critical
success.
Over the following two years, the production was performed throughout South
Africa and more than 300,000 people watched the acclaimed play.
Due to the story’s enduring popularity, Koos Roets rewrote Faan se Trein for the
big screen and the movie was filmed in April 2013.
Set in the late fifties in a small town in the Karoo, the film tells the story of Faan,
a middle-aged man who never developed beyond the emotional and intellectual
capacity of a small boy.
Vulnerable to outside influences, Faan faces the
community’s greed when his father dies with the request that all his valuables
should be divided between Faan and the church.
The movie explores universal themes with tenderness and is sure to appeal to
audiences across the country.
Faan se Trein stars Willie Esterhuizen in the title role and Deon Lotz (Mandela:
Long Walk to Freedom, Black South Easter, Verraaiers), Marius Weyers (Pad na
jou Hart, Nothing for Mahala, Die Wonderwerker) and Anel Alexander (Semi-Soet,
Klein Karoo), among others.
The movie is distributed by Ster-Kinekor.
