The feature film “Goodbye Bafana’ (shot in Cape Town during 2006) has received the honour of being among the first six pictures selected to compete in the upcoming 57th Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale), which runs from 8 to18 February. It will have its world premiere on 11 February 2007
“Goodbye Bafana’ is directed by Academy Award® winner and double Cannes Palme d’Or winner, Bille August (“Pelle The Conqueror’, “House Of Spirits’, “Smilla’s Sense Of Snow’). It is the true story of James Gregory – played by UK actor, Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare in Love’) – a white South African racist whose life was profoundly altered by the black political prisoners he guarded, in particular Nelson Mandela. Dennis Haysbert (President Palmer in “24”, ‘Far from Heaven’) plays Mandela. German actress Diane Kruger (Helen in “Troy’) stars as James Gregory’s wife Gloria. “Tsotsi’ star, Terry Pheto, Patrick Lyster, Lesley Mongezi, Mehboob Bawa, Zingi Mtuzuoa and Shakes Myeka head up the stellar South African cast.
The script was penned by South African screenwriter Greg Latter, and shot on location in SA by cinematographer Robert Fraisse (“Ronin’, “Seven Years in Tibet’). The music is composed by Academy award nominee Dario Marianelli, with a title track by Johnny Clegg.
Belgium filmmaker Jean Luc Van Damme developed the project with Ilann Girard, the executive producer of “March Of The Penguins’. They teamed with South African producer David Wicht of Film Afrika and X-Film of Germany (“Run Lola Run’), and the film was produced in 2006 as a European Co-production between SA, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy.
“Goodbye Bafana’ is the second of Wicht’s productions that have been selected to compete in the Berlin Festival. In 2004, the feature film “Country Of My Skull’, based on Antjie Krog’s award-winning book, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche, was selected for competition in Berlin.
“Being accepted into competition in Berlin is a huge honour. Making a film is often a painful labour of love so it is very gratifying when the end product is given such acknowledgment and recognition. Amidst the ongoing conflict around the globe, South Africa continues to be looked upon as a model for reconciliation and transformation, and the story of “Goodbye Bafana’ is about how this miracle plays out and transforms the life of one man.”
Berlinale is considered to be one of the most important film festivals in Europe. The South African film “u-Carmen eKhayelitsha’ won the top prize there in 2005.
Other pictures selected for this year’s competition so far, include Steven Soderbergh’s “The Good German’ (starring George Clooney) and Robert de Niro’s Cold War CIA drama, “The Good Shephard’.
