WeeklySA_AdminEPIC: Three decades into the game, the film with a storyline based on the 1976 student uprisings, has gotten a new lease on life…
By Gugu Sibiya
Sarafina! made history at the Cannes Classical Official Selection screening when it was announced that French media and entertainment giant at TF1 Studio/Newen Studios, will represent the epic film’s sales internationally.
The great news was delivered from the film Mecca by the celebrated Anant Singh. Commenting on the deal, the elated Sarafina! producer said “It is great to continue the relationship which began through our 1992 partnership with Les Films Ariane which is now part of TF1 Studio, a Newen Studios subsidiary. The film is now distributed by Newen Connect.
“Today, there are many opportunities to release the film, including in IMAX, and also among students and schools. This gives us access to a whole new generation of audiences. Both studios are equally passionate about the film, and we look forward to working with them on theatrical and other media. That encompasses generating revenue and viewership across the territories of the world,” he said.
Sarafina! is written by brilliant and globally respected playwright Mbongeni Ngema, the thespian is widely well-known for other award-winning productions under his belt. Willian Nicholson co-wrote the screenplay with him. Directed by Darrel James Roodt, its stellar cast is made up of Grammy award winning Miriam Makeba, Academy award winner Whoopi Goldberg, Tony award winner John Kani, Somizi Mhlongo and the main man himself, Ngema.
Sarafina! is about students revolting against an oppressive regime. Predictably, the police who’d been harassing students and the teachers, arrested mam’ Masombuka (Goldberg) who was subsequently murdered. Starring Leleti Khumalo, who was overwhelmed by the incident but determined to pick up the spear to fight the injustice of using Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, the film relates the story of an inferior education rammed down their throats by the apartheid system.
Confiding to her domestic mom (Makeba) at her place of work, like most parents, she is concerned for her daughter and other students, and begs Leleti to desist from getting involved since she risked being murdered by the trigger-happy apartheid police.
The beauty of the film is the hope burning among these young brave-hearts. Resolute in their conviction to change the status quo, they take to the streets, propelled by the belief that FREEDOM is coming tomorrow, as the struggle song goes. The music is as gripping as the narration, enacting the lived experience of black people before 1994, in 1976.
Joining Singh in the Cannes Classic screening was the significantly mature star of Sarafina!, pretty Leleti Khumalo, South Africa’s deputy ambassador to France, Nthabiseng Makuwa and most of the people who were in the audience at the inaugural screening of Sarafina! at the media junket, in 1992. During this showing, 31-years later, the popular screenplay got a five-minute standing ovation, an excited Singh revealed.
Savouring that moment Singh adds, “It was wonderful presenting Sarafina! together with Leleti in Cannes, 31- years after its first screening. The audience included people who were at the screening in 1992, but I was delighted by the reaction of people who saw the film for the first time and were visibly moved. It’s a testament to our film and the many creative partnerships involved, that it engages a younger audience three decades later.”
Besides the brilliant story-telling carried by a vibrant cast, alongside clips and documentaries on June 76, Sarafina! captures moments in history that were spearheaded by young people.
TV SOAPIE HEART-THROB MULLS OVER SKEEM SAAM DEBUT
PRIME-TIME: Back with a bang, Hungani Ndlovu takes the baton from Cornet Mamabolo…
By Gugu Sibiya
Ever since news of Hungani Ndlovu’s getting back on prime-time television broke out, legions of his fans have been on tenterhooks, waiting for him to do what he does best on the silver.
The phenomenal actor, who is debuting on Skeem Saam on July 3, is facing what nay-sayers assume should be an insurmountable task, referring to his take-over of the formidable role of Thabo (Cornet Mamabolo), son to Professor John Maputla and his businesswoman wife, Meiki.
Totally unphased, the smooth, laidback actor concedes that while there are concerns, he’s ready for this new chapter in his life and looking forward to it, adding: “Preceding my excitement is a tinge of nerves borne from the fact that viewers grew to like Thabo‘s character in the 10 solid years he was on Skeem Saam. It’s scary in that it comes with pressure and expectation of what I’m bringing to the role.
“Communicating with the director and producer, made it better for me to understand the character. It enabled me to create a new role with nuances that makes it easy to grow into the role though it’s a continuation from Thabo,” says Ndlovu, reflecting on the pros and cons of starting out with a new role versus taking over from another actor.
“Looking at it from that perspective, it makes it less scary. Luckily, as time goes by, audiences will adjust to my offering. At first, understandably, there’ll be comparisons and judgment. But then people have watched Thabo for 10 years out of the 11 years of the show’s existence. It’s unfair to expect otherwise. It’s the same thing, soccer coaches go through, being compared to their predecessors when they join new clubs,” he points out.
After studying at the USA’s Film Academy, Memoir of an Honest Voice was among his first acting gigs. He rose to prominence at Scandal, where his exceptional talent shone through. A marvel to watch, he lived and breathed the character. Credible. His integrity lay in representing the character of Romeo Medupe with everything he had, totally breathtaking. It’s this versatility and God-given talent he’s bringing to Skeem Saam.
While Ndlovu’s fans were heartbroken when he quit Scandal, he was intentional about not resting on his laurels. “I wasn’t on prime-time TV, then but I was working on shows like UBethina Wethu from SABC1 now on etv. I shot a movie called Our Love (Uthando Lwethu) before working on a stage production that had a great run at the Johannesburg Theatre for two months.
Catching his breath, he states that, through Sans Group Talent Agency, a partnership with his wife, referring to the beautiful actress Stephanie Sandows, they train actors and give dance lessons. Through their blog, the loving couple inspire other couples besides their podcast on YouTube.
“We are really hoping to grow our Ndlovu Empire in a big way” says the proud multi-talented actor.
“Stephanie and I shot a movie together that will be premiering in the not-so-distant future” he says, giving his fans a heads-up.
