Currently shooting in Ocean View, at Cape Town Film Studios, the Ottery Youth
Centre and other locations around Cape Town, is a remarkable feature film titled
Noem My Skollie, which is based on the life of the equally remarkable John W
Fredricks.
In his late 60s, and with very little schooling John W Fredricks wrote a script which,
after many years of struggle and tribulation, is now in production and supported by
M-Net, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Department of Trade
and Industry (dti) with Ster Kinekor signed up for distribution locally and with
potential international sales.
It was a long road indeed for Fredricks, a native of the Cape Flats, who, at the age
of 17, found himself in prison for various petty crimes. Undaunted, he found a way
to survive. “I could tell stories,’ says Fredricks. “I always seemed to have a knack
for this, and I became something akin to the prison cinema, able to entertain even
the most hardened gangsters, even receiving tobacco as payment for a good story.
I think it was this ability that stopped me from becoming a hardened criminal and
molded my life from storytelling to telling the story of my life.’
“This is certainly not a gang film,’ he adds. “It’s a film about childhood friendship
and about loss in adversity. It tells a story of how everyone has a natural gift but
how some gifts are harder to find than others. It’s the story of my life.’
Fredricks can boast that he survived Sediba and the NFVF development process. A
six-year exercise in its entirety; a huge achievement for a man of his age and
educational background. The eventual funding by the NFVF and the purchase by M-
Net is testimony to his ability to “tell a good story.’
“I met Fredricks at [film and television market] Sithengi in 2002,’ says producer
David Max Brown, “and I realised his talent and potential. It was a bit of a shock
when the NFVF rejected our first submission in 2004 but when they agreed to
sponsor Fredricks to attend their writing programme we agreed. It was tough for
Fredricks at his age and as he’d hardly been to school but he managed through their
various SEDIBA levels over the years. In 2011 the NFVF finally awarded us a
development grant and appointed script editor Roshan Cader.
“Suffice to say that it has been a long road. We have also been working with
Moshidi Motshegwa who has been a wonderful story editor and responsible for
securing a large chunk of the finance for the film.’
“Daryne Joshua is our hugely talented director whose own story echoes that of the
writer, as does that of our acclaimed production designer Warren George Grey. The
DOP is rising star Zenn van Zyl. The task of finding 58 speaking parts fell to casting
director Christa Schamberger, assisted by the amazing Ephraim Gordon. Our
service company is Stage 5 Films with experienced line producer Dylan Voogt and
production manager par excellence Marcelle du Toit. A unique team for a unique
film.’
Getting M-Net to buy the film was also a lengthy process. Here Motshegwa was able
to bring the script to the attention of the head of M-Net Movies, Jan du Plessis who
after reading the script responded almost immediately to say he would come on
board.
“The pre-buy means that some of the rights (such as the African television rights)
will belong to M-Net,’ explains Brown, “but that the producers can exploit the film
in cinemas locally and internationally and will also retain some other exploitation
rights. It’s quite a complex deal but is clearly a win-win situation and we have also
managed to attach Ster Kinekor to distribute theatrically and on DVD locally and are
negotiating currently with an international sales company.’
“The rest of the budget for the film comes from the NFVF and the DTI rebate.
Making a low budget period film with so many cast members and locations goes
against all the odds. However it’s a testament to the script that the cast and crew
have come to the party in such a supportive way.’
The film is well cast and includes DJ Mouton in the lead (recently the lead in
Abraham, directed by Jans Rautenbach), Christian Bennett, Oscar Petersen, Charlton
George, Denise Newman, Sandi Schultz, Andre Roodtman, Paul du Toit and Irshaad
Ally.
“Nico Dekker and Ross Rayners of Cape Town Film Studios are allowing us to use
the sets on their studio lot that were originally used in the filming of Mandela –
Long Walk to Freedom,’ concludes Brown. “They have been incredibly supportive as
have a number of companies, in particular Media Film Service, which are supplying
the Alexa camera package, grip and lighting.’
Written by Andy Stead
