WeeklySA_AdminATTRACTIONS: Death of a Whistleblower leads the pack of home-grown thrillers inspired by true South African stories…
By Priscilla Malinga
The Joburg Film Festival’s red carpet opening night on Wednesday kicked off with the cast and a celebrity list including producers, directors and media personalities gracing the event.
The 2024 edition, which took place at the Sandton Theatre on the Square, hosted personalities at Tang Restaurant by the Sandton Square where personalities met for drinks and food and networking. The highlight of the evening was the premiere of Death of a Whistleblower with the lead and supporting actors in attendance and other industry celebrities including Nay Maps, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Penny Lebyane.
The big long red carpet offered a vista of star-gazing and photo opportunities as guests caught a glimpse and opportunity to chat with their favourite stars. All dressed for the occasion, they took time to take photos before making their way into the theatre to watch the Death of a Whisteblower on Amazon the following day.
The film proved everything to be true to the promise on the pre-launch teaser. Action-packed and well-researched, it kept the viewers glued to the screen and spell-bound. It’s a story about the bravery of a journalist who chose to defy her editor’s warnings to pursue a story fraught with danger, leading her to experience and witness killings and revenge from one of the victims.
The one crime, as fresh as today’s headlines, is revealed near the closing minutes of the film. The other is buried in a cover-up concealed since the eighties. The lingering question of revenge or forgiveness is raised as key themes in the film. The closing images of the film highlight the true story about the lives and sacrifice by five South African whistle blowers, all dedicated to sharing truth with their fellow South Africans – sadly all killed during vengeful gangster-style attacks by shadowy individuals determined to keep truth in South Africa from seeing the light of day.
The thriller, released yesterday on PRIME Amazon, is inspired by several true South African whistle blower stories. Death of a Whistleblower is directed by Ian Gabriel and stars Noxolo Dalmini (South African Film and TV Awards’ Best Actress) and Irshaad Ally (Four Corners) and produced by Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri from KAR (Known Artists Entertainment in partnership with EVOD).
The flick deliberately bridges events from the past and links them to events in the present, drawing a line from the notorious Project Coast chemical weapons program of the eighties through to the constitution in the present of powerful private security agencies in South Africa, which have the clout to call the shots at high levels when they choose to do so.
The South African film, shot early in 2023, deals with the increasing phenomenon of gangster-style executions awaiting whistle blowers to expose the nefarious forms of institutional corruption. Recently completed, the film was welcomed at the Toronto’s International Film Festival as a work that ‘transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience’.
Joburg Film Festival, which runs until Sunday, has lined up a string of attractions, including Umbrella man and Snake. For those who have not had the chance to attend the premiere, they can catch up with Death of a Whistleblower on Amazon. Well executed film and a must-watch
