In a first for South African film, Necktie Youth and Love the One
You Love will both be released on video-on-demand (VOD) on the day of
their theatrical release.
Audiences will be able to stream Love the One You Love on Vimeo-on-
Demand available across Africa from 18 September 2015, the day of its release at
The Labia Theatre and The Bioscope, while Necktie Youth will be on
iTunes and M-Net’s Box Office from 25 September 2015, the day of its release in
Ster-Kinekor and independent cinemas nationwide. Through Box Office
Necktie Youth will reach the following countries: South Africa,
Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania and
Kenya.
Necktie Youth producer Elias Ribeiro says: “We believe that by making
these films available on VOD, we will reach their core audience, the youth, who
might be more inclined to consume content online. This will generate strong word-
of-mouth to drive traffic to the cinema.’
“According to the just-released mid-year box office report from the National Film
and Video Foundation (NFVF), South African films have lost another 15% of the
cinema box office share,’ says Steven Markovitz, producer of Love the One
You Love. “This shows we need to start experimenting with different release
strategies in South Africa and through this build larger audiences for local films.’
Both films are part of a new wave of South African cinema, which is winning awards
at film festivals across the world. These young film directors are turning inwards
and finding a new narrative on meaning and identity for the first free generation of
post-Apartheid youth.
Necktie Youth tells the story of sex, drugs and adolescent disconnect
among the multi-racial elite of Johannesburg’s affluent suburb Sandton. The film has
won awards and international acclaim in Berlin, New York, Sydney and most
recently won best film at the World Cinema Amsterdam Film Festival. At the Durban
International Film Festival this year, Necktie Youth won an award for
best South African feature film and director/writer Sibs Shongwe-La Mer also took
home the prize for best direction.
Love, happiness and identity among South Africa’s first free youth is also echoed in
talented Cape Town director Jenna Bass’s feature film debut, Love The One
You Love.
Love The One You Love won awards at the Durban International Film
Festival in 2014 for Best Actress, Best South African Feature Film and Best Direction
in a South African Feature Film. It has since been nominated for the Ingmar
Bergman Debut Award at the Goteborg International Film Festival and the Flash
Forward Award at the Busan International Film Festival.
