This month we’ve decided to keep it strictly local with the top 10 South African films
of last year, as per the NFVF’s box office report for December 2014 to January…
Pad na Jou Hart
Director Jaco Smit’s heartwarming romantic comedy was the biggest earning local
film at the South African box office last year. Released on Valentine’s Day 2014, the
Afrikaans flick, starring Ivan Botha and Donnalee Roberts, brought in an impressive
R11 597 209 in ten weeks running at local theatres.
Leading Lady
Katie McGrath, Bok van Blerk and Gil Bellows star in this lighthearted rom-com by
director Henk Pretorius. Raking in R7 567 630 in just six weeks at South African
cinemas, Leading Lady also managed to secure a cinematic distribution deal with
Freestyle Releasing in the USA where it will screen later this year.
Faan se Trein
This Afrikaans comedy by award-winning director Koos Roets was the third highest
performing local film of 2014, grossing R7 158 787 nationally in five weeks running.
Released in January last year, Faan se Trein is based on the play by Pieter Fourie,
originally performed in 1970. It has been lauded as a classic of Afrikaans cinema.
Vrou Soek Boer
Starring Lika Berning and Nico Panagio in the lead roles, Vrou Soek Boer uses both
romance and humour to touch on the divide between Johannesburg’s fast-paced city
life and the “platteland’s’ more humble way of living. The film earned R5 458 669 in
five weeks running at the local box office.
Knysna
Director Andre Velts’ comedy Knysna comes in at number five with R4 893 911 in
six weeks at South African cinemas. The film, starring Neels van Jaarsveld and
Marguerite Wheatley, received mixed reviews from local critics.
Spud 3: Learning to Fly
Released in November last year, the third installment of the Spud film series
underperformed in comparison to the first two films, earning just R3 788 281 in four
weeks running. Critics put the film’s poor performance down to insufficient
marketing.
Konfetti
Director Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat’s Konfetti stars Louw Venter, Nico Panagio, Casey
B Dolan and Kim Engelbrecht in a romantic-comedy about friendship, love and
everything in between. The film garnered R2 558 221 in eight weeks at local
theatres.
iNumber Number
Los Angeles-based production and distribution company Wrekin Hill Entertainment
has acquired the North American rights to iNumber Number, starring S’dumo
Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae. Director Donovan Marsh’s award-winning thriller
ran for 13 weeks at local cinemas and earned an unimpressive R1 956 873.
Hard to Get
Hard to Get tells the story of a young man who plunges into the criminal underworld
in Johannesburg after he falls for a beautiful but dangerous woman. Directed by
first-time feature director Zee Ntuli, the film screened on the South African circuit
for 17 weeks and garnered a disappointing R1 714 862.
Die Spook Van Uniondale
Die Spook van Uniondale takes audiences on a flight of fancy, telling the story of a
man who is forced to stay in a small town in the Klein Karoo when his car breaks
down on the way to his parents’ house. Directed by Pierre Smith, the film earned R1
495 744 in three weeks.
– Compiled by Chanelle Ellaya
