An updated version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Gugu & Andile, was judged Best South African Feature at the recent Cape Winelands Film Festival in Stellenbosch. Directed by Minky Schlesinger, the film is set in a township, shortly after the repealing of the apartheid laws.
Gugu & Andile was produced by Bridget Pickering and Neil Brandt of Fireworx Media. Schlesinger wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Lodi Matsetela. The film was lensed by Greg Heimann, designed by Flo Ballack and edited by Catherine Meyburgh. Warrick Sony composed the music. It has won numbers awards and screened at festivals in Burkina Faso, London, Los Angeles and Rotterdam, among others.
In commenting on Gugu & Andile, the Cape Winelands Film Festival Jury commented: “Minky Schlesinger’s film, with its superb script, draws out the timeless appeal of Shakespeare’s work and with editing that captures the breathless pace of the narrative. The result is a work that will speak to young and old, both in the appeal of the play and the way it is incorporated into and sheds light on an important aspect of many people’s lives in South Africa.’
Before its current 98-minute feature version, Gugu & Andile had been a six-part miniseries, commissioned by SABC1 in the Shakespeare in its Mzansi strand. Although shot with minimal budget under difficult conditions, the film has garnered much attention, vindicating the effort and imagination of all who worked on it.
