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DTT latest

Carly Barnes
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In preparation for next year’s commercial launch of South Africa’s migration from analogue broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT), which has been subject to many delays since it was first mooted by Cabinet in 2005, the Department of Communications (DOC) is amending the Broadcast Digital Migration Policy and reviewing the role of the Digital Dzonga.

Screen Africa readers will recall that the Digital Dzonga was set up in 2009 to oversee the country’s smooth migration to digital broadcasting. In April 2010, the then Minister of Communications, Siphiwe Nyanda, dissolved the Dzonga’s Advisory Council (made up of industry experts) on the grounds of possible conflict of interests.

Nyanda’s successor, Roy Padayachie announced April 2012 as a possible DTT launch date in his recent Budget Vote Speech.

Says Ministerial spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso: “In the meantime we are in the process of establishing the Digital Migration Project Office, which is located within the department. We foresee that the Digital Dzonga shall play an advisory role to the Minister.’

Rikhotso notes that the strategy for the local manufacture of the set top boxes (STBs) required to decode the DTT signal has been finalised, subject to Cabinet’s approval.

“We are presently setting up an STB conformance scheme and have already finalised the tender for the conformance hardware. Going forward we will issue a tender for the conformance software,’ he explains.

With the price of DTT STBs likely to be around the R700 mark, Cabinet has approved 4.5 million of South Africa’s poorer households for possible subsidies. “Of course this figure might increase or decrease given the continuous changes in the socio-economic profile of the poor households,’ comments Rikhotso. “The subsidy scheme is meant to go to Cabinet soon for finalisation. In the meantime the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) is putting in place systems to implement the subsidy scheme. We believe subsidies should include aerials for these households but this issue is still under consideration.’

The DOC has an Implementation Plan for DTT which talks to the activities that must be undertaken by the Department, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), parastatal signal distributor Sentech, broadcasters, USAASA, etc. This plan was developed through consultation with key stakeholders.
According to Rikhotso, parastatal signal distributor Sentech has already achieved 60% coverage on the DVB-T2 DTT standard.

The SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) held a workshop on 24 June at Cosatu House in Johannesburg to explore the progress of the country’s digital migration.

A DOC representative was scheduled to address the workshop but cancelled on the morning of the event. DTT stakeholders were addressed by SOS’ Kate Skinner, as well as e.tv group executive of Regualtory Affairs, Lara Kantor (also the former chairperson of the Digital Dzonga Advisory Council) and Gerhard Petrick of the Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association (SADIBA).

Among the issues discussed were challenges with regard to sourcing enough content to fill the new digital channels and concerns about ensuring that the market isn’t flooded with cheap STBs of inferior quality.

Petrick emphasised that digital migration is a “huge exercise’, with a need for all parties to work together to ensure the country is ready. “Digital migration is only going to happen if homes migrate, and they will only do so if they think it is sensible and valuable.’

Wayne Samson, Ellies CEO, raised the concern that many South Africans, possibly between 30% and 50%, will have to replace their aerials because digital television will be broadcast on new frequencies. He maintained that this could be “one of the biggest potential failures’ of digital migration if the public wasn’t made aware of this, and if government subsidies did not include new aerials.

DIFF at work

Carly Barnes
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Along with showcasing the best in world cinema, the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) has always been committed to the development and growth of the South African film industry. To this end it runs a comprehensive programme of workshops, seminars and panel discussions about all aspects of filmmaking.
DIFF assistant manager Monica Rorvik is proud to report that for the 10th year running, the festival will partner with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Audio Visual Division to present an audio-visual workshop for entry-level filmmakers from community organisations. “It’s very encouraging to hear that students who have done the course over the years have been absorbed into the industry.’

Rorvik explains that the workshop component has grown enormously in recent years, particularly with the inclusion of Talent Campus Durban (TCD), now in its 4th edition (in co-operation with Berlinale Talent Campus), and, with the partnership of Durban Film Office, the Durban FilmMart (DFM) goes into its 2nd year. “This year sees the addition of Doc Station Durban to TCD, where three selected talents will receive mentoring before pitching projects in DFM’s Doc Circle Day.

“TCD will run two Master Classes. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich (Position Among the Stars) will talk on single-shot cinema, while Gaston Kabore, the renowned filmmaker and head of Imagine Institute in Burkina Faso, will present a master class on the challenges that face African filmmakers.’ DFM delegates may also attend these sessions as part of the Doc Circle exchange.
Panel discussion topics in the open-to-public Africa in Focus programme include distribution; funding; pre-production and post-production issues; documentary ethics; co-producing with Hong Kong, North America and Europe; and a session on animation in India.

The Request For Proposals session will include an RFP from Don Edkins for the global documentary series, Why Poverty?, a follow-up to the documentary series, Why Democracy?

Panel participants will include 3 Continents (Nantes), BRITDOC Foundation, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Berlinale Film Festival, Dubai, The Good Pitch, Goteborg Film Festival, Sundance and a range of industry experts and filmmakers, local and international.

The festival also highlights African initiatives such as the Mokolo Network, along with Mobi CINE, PUMA Creative, People2People, and the NFVF’s Sediba programmes for scriptwriting and producing. DIFF will be the site of the launch of the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, which is anticipated to boost filmmaking opportunities in the province.

DIFF’s partner for the past 11 years has been the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). Rorvik continues: “DIFF would not be complete without the NFVF’s session for the industry about their plans for the year. The NFVF will also address emerging filmmakers and present their bursary opportunities. They will also present a prize to one of the Durban Short Film Challenge winners.’

Panasonic’s world first

Carly Barnes
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Among the products to be showcased by Panasonic at Mediatech Africa is the AG-3DA1, the world’s first integrated twin-lens full HD 3D camera recorder. The AG-3DA1 features a camera section with two integrated lens systems that are configured to resemble the human eyes, and a recorder section that records left-channel and right-channel full-HD images using the high quality PH mode of the file-based AVCHD format. With the same approximate weight and size of a 2D camera recorder, the AG-3DA1 doesn’t require any adjustment of the left and right lens alignment such as vertical gap, size difference, rotation and luminance difference. Data files recorded onto a memory card are readily processed using a nonlinear editing system.

Newly added to the Panasonic AVCCAM lineup, the AG-AC160 and AG-AC130 Memory Card Camera Recorders offer a host of advanced functions. The lens, camera section and recorder section of these models have been significantly revamped by incorporating cutting-edge technologies. The new 22x zoom lens boasts wide coverage, from wide-angle to telephoto, while cam-type zoom, focus, and iris rings let the camera operator make manual adjustments just like with an interchangeable lens. The high-sensitivity, low-noise, high resolution 1/3-type 2.2-megapixel U.L.T. (Ultra Luminance Technology) MOS image sensor and professional AVCHD PH mode ensure high-quality Full-HD (1920 x 1080) recording.
The AJ-HPX3100 memory card camera recorder, weighing just 3.9kg, incorporates a 2.2 megapixel 2/3 type 3CCD, a high performance DSP and an AVC-Intra codec LSI to record broadcast quality HD video with full pixel (1920 x 1080) resolution using 10 bit / 4:2:2 sampling.

Also to be showcased at Mediatech Africa are the AG-AF101E 4/3 inch camera and the AG-HMX100E 8-channel switcher.

These Panasonic products will be on the Timbre Broadcast stand numbers: C9, C11 & D8

Feature Films at DIFF

Carly Barnes
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31 MILLION REASONS
By John Barker, South Africa
Bollywood meets South African cinema in this stylish, pacy film about a corrupt cop who, desperate to clean up his act, is given the opportunity to go legit by doing one last job. Set in Durban’s Indian community, 31 Millions Reasons was inspired by a massive heist that took place in 1997, for which 14 people were arrested. World Premiere. Filmmaker in attendance

ASSHOLE (GANDU)
By Kaushik Mukherjee, India
Gandu – whose self-adopted nickname means asshole – is an angry and aimless young man who finds meaning only in freestyle rap and beatboxing. When Gandu meets a Bruce Lee-obsessed rickshaw driver named Ricksha, they descend into a rap-infused world of sex, drugs and darkness. Filmmaker in attendance

BLACK BUTTERFLIES
By Paula van der Oest, Germany, The Netherlands, South Africa
Black Butterflies tells the story of the life of South African poet Ingrid Jonker, her love affairs, complex relationships with her father and country, and her suicide in 1965. With an award-winning performance from Dutch actress Carice van Houten as Jonker, the film is a tribute to the power of her words and the contradictory nature of human existence. Filmmaker in attendance

CIRCUMSTANCE
By Maryam Keshavarz, Iran, Lebanon, United States
This exquisitely rendered study of the links between sexuality, modernity and tradition in modern-day Tehran is a striking and moving debut by Maryam Keshavarz. Sixteen-year-old Atafeh, the daughter of a wealthy liberal family, and Shireen, her best friend whose deceased parents were anti-government activists, have a closeness that is forbidden in Iran.

ELENA
By Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia
This third masterpiece from director Andrei Zvyagintsev (The Return, The Banishment, both of which played at DIFF) tells the story of Elena, a middle-aged wife and mother who has remarried a wealthy new husband, who decides to write a new will and leave nearly everything to his spoilt daughter. Elena was the winner of a special jury prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes this year.

ELITE SQUAD 2 – THE ENEMY WITHIN (TROPA DE ELITE 2 – O INIMIGO AGORA E OUTRO)
By Jose Padilha, Brazil
A box office hit in Brazil, the action-filled Elite Squad 2 tells of Nascimento, the leader of a military police unit in Rio de Janeiro. After he mismanages a prison riot, Nascimento is reassigned to an intelligence post where he uncovers a massive web of corruption leading to the highest levels of government.

THE FIRST GRADER
By Justin Chadwick, United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya
This moving and uplifting drama tells the true story of Maruge, an 84-year-old Kenyan villager and former freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford. Maruge ends up joining a class of six-year-olds. Filmmaker in attendance

HOW TO STEAL 2 MILLION
By Charlie Vundla, South Africa
This engaging debut feature from young South African director, Charlie Vundla, follows an ex-con named Jack, who desperately wants to go straight but is presented with an opportunity for a job with a R2m take. The cast includes Menzi Ngubane, Rapulana Seiphemo, Terry Pheto, Hlubi Mboya and John Kani. World Premiere. Filmmaker in attendance

INCENDIES
By Denis Villeneuve, Canada,
This provocative Oscar-nominated Canadian film follows a twin brother and sister in their quest to uncover the truth about their family history. Following the death of their mother, Jeanne and Simon learn that their absentee father is still alive, and that they have a brother they have never met. The two travel to the Middle East to unravel the tangled strands of their mysterious past.

NADER AND SIMIN, A SEPARATION (JODAEIYE NADER AZ SIMIN)
By Asghar Farhadi, Iran, 2011
This beautifully made film traces the breakup of an Iranian family set against the political tensions of life in contemporary Tehran. Nader and Simin have decided to get divorced, ostensibly because Simin wants to emigrate overseas to ensure a better future for their daughter. While not overtly political, the film is starkly critical of life in Iran, particularly the massive class divide. Winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin this year. Filmmaker in attendance

RESTLESS CITY
By Andrew Dosunmu, Nigeria, United States
Restless City tells the story of Djibril, a young Senegalese immigrant and musician struggling to survive on the margins of New York City. When Djibril falls in love with a prostitute who works for a local small-time loan shark, his previously aimless existence is suddenly given fresh purpose and he is forced to make some difficult decisions. Filmmaker in attendance

RETRIBUTION
By Mukunda Michael Dewil, South Africa
This impressive first film from young South African director, Mukunda Michael Dewil, tells the story of a retired judge who is sent by his editor to write his memoirs in an isolated cabin in the wilderness, where he encounters a lost hiker. With great performances from Jeremy Crutchley and Joe Mafela, Retribution is a terse thriller. Filmmaker in attendance

SKOONHEID
By Oliver Hermanus, France, South Africa
This is is the second outing from young South African director Oliver Hermanus, whose Shirley Adams was a DIFF 2009 highlight. Skoonheid tells the story of a closeted married man who finds himself deeply attracted to the handsome adult son of old family friends. This beautifully controlled film took the Queer Palm award at Cannes this year for the best film dealing with gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender issues. Filmmaker in attendance

TAKA TAKATA
By Damir Radonic, South Africa
Kabelo owns and captains a soccer team. With a string of losses, and half the members walking out on him, he feels he’s destroying the team’s legacy. Challenged to a match by an old rival who heads the winning local soccer team, Kabelo’s brother-in-law, Rasta, steps in to help him, but this might not be what he needs. The film features hilarious performances from Kagiso Lediga and Trevor Noah. Filmmaker in attendance

TOAST
By SJ Clarkson, United Kingdom
Toast is a beautifully modulated account of famous British chef Nigel Slater’s childhood romance with cookery and his ongoing battle for the affection of his father. When his mother dies and his dad begins to takes an interest in Mrs Potter (Helena Bonham Carter), their working-class maid, Nigel finds himself in fierce competition for his father’s loyalty and control of the household’s domestic life.

THE TREE OF LIFE
By Terrence Malick, United States
From American master Terrence Malick comes this gripping drama starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. It chronicles the origins and meaning of life as seen from the eyes of a 1950s Texas family growing up in the birth of the space age. Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year.

VIVA RIVA!
By Djo Tunda Wa Munga, Congo-Kinshasa, France, Belgium
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, petrol is in extremely short supply – fantastic news for Riva, who has just arrived from Angola with the only shipment of petrol around for miles. Riva starts to live the high life and finds himself attracted to a mysterious woman with links to a local gangster. This sexy action drama signals a brave new direction for African cinema.
Filmmaker in attendance

Musical Distributors is a sound choice

Carly Barnes
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Cape Town-based Musical Distributors (MD) will have a wide variety of products on display at Mediatech Africa including microphones, professional recording and mixing equipment.

Marketing manager Newton Wetter is enthusiastic. “We will feature some of the latest products from Akai Professional, including the Akai EIE Electromusic interface expander. MD will also have the RMP3 production monitors with built-in audio interface and the Synthstation49 49-key keyboard controller for iPad, as well as some new Alesis products. These include the iO Dock Pro Audio dock for iPad, the iO4 four-channel, 24-bit recording interface and the Microtube Solo microphone tube pre-amp.

“On the microphone front we will have a variety of Rode microphones including the Videomic Pro, NTG-3 precision broadcast-grade shotgun microphone, NTG-2 dual-powered directional condenser microphone and the NTG-1 directional condenser microphone.’

Roland Systems Group products include the M-480 48-channel live digital mixing console, and the VR-5 AV mixer / recorder. Proel professional audio products will be showcased as will the NET series speakers and the Xenia series speakers.

“We will have a full complement of technical staff on hand to provide in-depth information on all our products and urge Mediatech visitors to visit our stand and see the latest innovations from these leading brands,’ concludes Wetter.

Musical Distributors stand number: E34

Forever Film

Carly Barnes
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The year-round selection process for the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) sees festival manager Nashen Moodley viewing a staggering 600 films or more.
“I’m delighted to say that we have an excellent selection this year – quite an edgy group of films in fact,’ says Moodley, whose search for the best in world cinema takes him to festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam, Toronto, Pusan and FESPACO.

He notes that DIFF has a broad sensibility: “Basically we look for films that excite us. We do seek some level of geographical representation and while we want films from established filmmakers, DIFF is also keen to show audiences new talents. I think it’s sad that there is such limited exposure in South Africa to different styles of cinema. That’s why festivals are so important.’

A special focus at DIFF 2011 is Indian cinema, with six films from the late, award-winning Satyajit Ray and five new films from fresh talents, as well as a documentary on Bollywood.

This year Moodley saw many wonderful films from Canada, which has resulted in a special Canadian focus at DIFF 2011, led by Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee, Incendies (brought to DIFF courtesy Ster-Kinekor).

In a coup Moodley managed to secure a number of films from this year’s Cannes Film Festival, namely the Palme d’Or winner, Tree of Life (Brad Pit and Sean Penn), brought to DIFF courtesy of Nu Metro. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, which opened Cannes, will screen at DIFF courtesy of Videovision Entertainment. There is also the Swedish coming of age film, Play, and the French film, The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

Fresh from Cannes is South African writer/director Oliver Hermanus’ Skoonheid. Says Moodley: “This was the first ever Afrikaans-language film to be selected for the Cannes Un Certain Regard competition and won the Queer Palm award. I think it’s magnificent and Oliver and his cast will be at DIFF.

“Our opening night film is another South African production, Sara Blecher’s fascinating Otelo Burning. Among the other local films are Charlie Vundla’s stylish film noir, How to Steal 2 Million, and John Barker’s striking heist film, 31 Million Reasons.’

There is also Faith Isiakpere’s taut police brutality drama, The Algiers Murders; the hilarious comedy Taka Takata by Damir Radonic; The Dream by Zuko Nodada; Mukunda Michael Dewil’s psychological thriller Retribution; Eldorado by newcomer brother and sister team, Shaldon and Lorreal Ferris, and Black Butterlies, Paula van der Oest’s moving Ingrid Jonker biopic.

African cinema is represented by DRC filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s unique Viva Riva!; Nigerian director Andrew Donsunmu’s visually beautiful Restless City, Justin Chadwick’s uplifting Kenya-set film The First Grader, and Ebrahim El Batout’s Hawi, a project at the inaugural Durban FilmMart in 2010.

MovieMart’s first Mediatech Africa

Carly Barnes
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Distributor and retailer MovieMart, which caters for the professional film, television and media markets, will exhibit for the first time at Mediatech Africa with a formidable arsenal of quality brands and products.

The full range of Arri, Ari Lighting, Vitec and other premium brands such as FilmLight, DVS, Front Porch, Outsight and The Foundry will be on show.
Says MovieMart’s Marc Eckstein: “MovieMart is not only establishing itself as a leading distributor and reseller but we have committed ourselves to giving the best technical support to all our customers.

“With access to the best qualified Arri trained technicians in South Africa and the most qualified facilities-based infrastructure team in the business, MovieMart is set to take on the demands of this constantly changing and converging industry.’
Eckstein notes that MovieMart keeps a sufficient stock of spares on site for repair and sales, to ensure that turnaround times on servicing are kept to a minimum. All spares can be ordered through MovieMart.

Latest news is that MovieMart is pushing ahead with two retail stores in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Says Eckstein: “We see a growing demand from a sophisticated professional customer base wanting to invest in cameras, lighting, hard drives and software. A selection of consumables will be available off the floor in the stores.

“We understand that the discerning professional needs unique and specific accessories to go with his investment and MovieMart will be there to provide the best advice and support to those making important purchasing decisions.’

Products offered include: tapes and markers; hardware products; Arri sales; Alexa cameras and camera accessories; lighting and lighting accessories; Arri digital and post-production equipment; camera accessories; lighting accessories; Vitec products; O’connor accessories; Lite Panel equipment; petrol bags; sandbags, apple boxes; foil; and filters.

MovieMart stand number: C19

Calling all cinephiles!

Carly Barnes
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From 21 to 31 July fans of discerning world cinema can revel in South Africa’s largest and longest running festival, the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). Running alongside DIFF are the 2nd Durban FilmMart Co-production and Finance Market (DFM) and the 4th Talent Campus Durban, as well as an extensive programme of seminars and workshops aimed at developing the local film industry.

With principal funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, this year the DIFF line-up comprises 83 feature films, 48 documentaries and 44 short films. Festival director Peter Rorvik is delighted to report a strong South African crop among these, namely 11 feature films, 23 documentaries and 24 shorts.

Says Rorvik: “The challenge for our audiences is how to pick and choose from such a fantastic selection. I’m very excited about the quality of films this year, particularly as we were fortunate enough to secure a number of last minute films from the recent Cannes Film Festival.

“DIFF has for many years presented films that conscientise audiences about environmental issues and with the COP 17 conference taking place in Durban later this year the 2011 Eco-Lens strand is extremely strong. High profile films are led by The Big Fix (about the devastation caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and subsequent cover-ups) and Countdown to Zero (nuclear threats and disarmament challenges). Into Eternity is about a facility deep underground in Finland that is expected to house nuclear waste for 100,000 years.’

A special guest of the festival is acclaimed Burkinabe filmmaker, Gaston Kabore, one of the founders of FESPACO and head of the Imagine Institute in Ouagadougou. Kabore will present a master class at Talent Campus Durban, which features nearly 50 emerging filmmakers from various African countries.

Another guest is renowned Canadian environmental activist, Paul Watson, the Greenpeace Foundation co-founder, and current director of Sea Shepherd Society – DIFF will screen the documentary Eco Pirate – the Story of Paul Watson.
Rorvik notes that, just like Talent Campus Durban, the creation of DFM was a logical trajectory for DIFF and adds a very important dimension. “DFM facilitates industry growth and the production of African films. This year DIFF will screen the Egyptian film Hawi, which was in last year’s DFM, and we fully expect the process to deliver more great films for screening at DIFF and other festivals in the future.’
The Royal Hotel will once again serve as the hub for DIFF, DFM and Talent Campus Durban, and the festival has added a dedicated screening venue within the hotel complex. DIFF has brought in a specialist from the Netherlands to help with technical issues around the wide spectrum of digital formats (including HD) submitted to the festival.

Now in its seventh year, the Wavescape Surf Film Festival has been a very successful component of DIFF and will kick off on 25 July with an outdoor screening at the Bay of Plenty on Durban’s beachfront and then run for five days at Ster-Kinekor Musgrave. Many of the films feature South African surfers and locations.

Pro-Sales has the experience

Carly Barnes
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With combined experience of 47 years, Gauteng based Pro-Sales has supplied a wide range of products from the first Sony reel to reel video recorder to the latest card recording camcorder. Pro-Sales will exhibit a selection of its products at Mediatech Africa.

Arne Sack elaborates: “The main products on display will be Secced, Cosmo Light, Swit, Sony, Panasonic, Cartoni, Basson, Q-Gear, Draka, Newtek, Focus, Cavision, Genus, JZW, Marenius, Matrix Switch Corporation, Rode and Sennheiser.

“Pro-Sales has been very busy recently – we’ve just supplied four complete Triax Camera chains to the entertainment industry. I’ve found that there is a new enthusiasm in the industry and we are approaching sales figures similar to those prior to the recession.’

As far as Mediatech Africa is concerned Pro-Sales will have overseas representatives on the stand. “We expect to welcome guests from Panasonic, Newtek, Focus and Draka,’ adds Sack.

Pro-Sales stand numbers: C7, C11 & D9

The dynamics of film

Carly Barnes
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Moving from the television production environment to the world of short film taught South African filmmaker Uzanenkosi a whole new way of telling a story.

“When you shoot a television drama you have to complete a prescribed number of minutes each day, so it can be a bit of a compromise. But making my first ever short film Tshingwe na Tshingwe (Anything) allowed me to work in a more freely creative way. It was a great learning curve,’ says Uzanenkosi.

Tshingwe na Tshingwe is the 20-minute end product of the 2010 MultiChoice Film Talent Incubator (FTI) Grooming Exceptional Talent (GET) course, which allowed Uzanenkosi to do a short film course at an overseas institution of his choice. This was the National Film and TV School in Beaconsfield, UK.

“The FTI, which is done in conjunction with the Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking, is a marvelous community initiative for previously disadvantaged individuals. If you are chosen to do the FTI’S advanced course (GET), then you come away with a short film after finishing the course, which is amazing. GET also allows you to choose a mentor for your short film and I picked Robbie Thorpe of TOM Pictures, he is a wonderful filmmaker and person,’ explains Uzanenkosi.
Tshwinge na Tshwinge was inspired by a story from a homeless man called Tshabalira Lebakeng. Uzanenkosi wrote the screenplay that centres on a 15-year-old boy desperately trying to fit in with his new community. It is a story about the abuse of power.

Compromise

The film was shot late last year over three and a half days in Everton, which is an hour outside of Johannesburg. DOP Eran Tahor shot the film on a Canon 5D camera.
Uzanenkosi continues: “Each day we lost so much time because of travelling to the location that we ran out of money. As I didn’t want to compromise the film, I approached MultiChoice Corporate Social Investment (CSI) manager Itumeleng Letebele and she kindly granted us extra funds.’

Uzanenkosi notes that local crews are very willing to assist in making the film beyond the limited budget.

Three days of rehearsals helped to build a relationship between the actors and director. He says: “Some scenes were hard to do because it was necessary for the actors to embarrass themselves. As a director I had to figure out how to make them do what I wanted.

“The short film course in the UK taught me to keep a diary of things that I learnt every day while directing Tshingwe na Tshingwe. Making the film was a process of growth for me.’

Uzanenkosi has always been keen to help other previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs) forge their careers. Three years ago he created the website www.pitchit.co.za, an online market where writers can pitch their scripts.

PRODUCTION CREW:

Executive Producers: MultiChoice, Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking
Producer: Robbie Thorpe
Production Designer: Martha Sibanyoni
Production Manager: Kamohelo Mokoena
Sound: President Kapa
Off-line Editor: Ziggy Hofmeyr
Equipment: Media Film Service, Digital Films, CJ Photographic Solutions
Key Cast: Mpho Sebeng, Anele Mnguni, Junior Singo, Nkhodeni Ramagwede

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