Father Geek here posting up Dr. Sotha's 3rd Friday morning Africa-AICN column, and it's a good one. By the way we've established an index/link page to help you find our past stories related to this column. To visit them just click on the "More AICN" box on the left of this page. That way you can near instantly find that story you missed, or you can just browse thru our archive of Africa related stories. But now to the good doctor and this weeks column...
DR. SOTHA back for round three in Africa versus the Rest of The World. My
profession has come under scrutiny in the last few days, there seems to be a
rumour out there, that I once was a narcissist. Let me put an end to all
this deflating propaganda, I am a highly reveared, feared and brilliant
doctor..nothing more and nothing less. A quick look at some of the patients
I've cured will attest to this (Michael Cimino, although he still has some
memory lapses from time to time, Francis Ford Coppola, and to the best of my
knowledge he has still managed to avoid the authorities.well I think I've
proved my point). Now, if you have some glorifying, protagonistic, exemplary
remarks to send me, do so at AfricaAICN@hotmail.com
The prescription please.
SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA
* Clear, formerly known as Films-2-People and now merged with TMTV non-education division, was successful at the recently held Avanti Awards (the so called "South African" Oscars...yeah okay if that's what they want to call it - DR. SOTHA) presented by the National Television & Video Association (NTVA). Soul City IV (co-produced with Curious Pictures) scooped Best Drama Series, Best Directors Team, Best Actor (Patrick Shai), Best Actress (Connie Chiume), and Best Supporting Actress (Anna-Mart van der Merwe). Teboho Mahlatsi's Portrait of a Young Man Drowning walked away with Best Director and Best Actor (Ronie Nyakale) in the One-off Drama Category.
* Centropolis are looking at "PLUTONIUM SKY" a science-fiction story in the vein of William Gibson's "Neuromancer", written by South African scribe Daniel Meyerov. It probes alternate realities, new reality access systems on the internet, and a sprinkle of dystopian (See Verhoeven - DR. SOTHA) action sequences. (much like the "13th Floor" an underappreciated gem).
* "TSUTSI" written by Beth B is on the fast track at Good Machine. Adapted from Athol Fugard's acclaimed play it takes a look at a Tsotsi, born into corruption, who inadvertantly gets given a baby and undergoes a transformation in character. With shades of Charles Dicken's and Oliver, GM is looking at Laurence Fishburne (Apocalypse Now) to play the lead.
* Peter Du Toit is prepping "GHOSTLANDS" about an American woman who arrives in a small South African town in the 60's, changing the life of an innocent youth and bringing him to manhood. Khulisa Productions is financing. (Think a South African version of "Rambling Rose" -- now let's secure Laura Dern for the lead - DR. SOTHA)
* "Shebeen Shitsu" is a cross genre effort by Don Xote (Hamba) revolving around the tribal mob and the sword of the Samurai (two words: Jim Jarmusch - DR. SOTHA). When a warrior (translated as wiseguy to western civilizations) finds an ancient Asianic sword, he is able to take revenge against his local mafia enemies. Xote is independantly financing, through his Rava Filmworks.
* Owing to the good response on the Arnold Vosloo / Mummy 2 bit in last
weeks column, I was sent these small mini reviews by "Mephisto" of films
he'd appeared in previously...take a gander...
REASON TO DIE
Not a bad action flick set in AV's native South Africa. He plays "Wilson" a psychotic out to avenge the death of his sister. The movie is quite nasty at times, definitely not for those with a fear of knives. AV makes good use of his dark eyes and sinister sneers to portray a villain with a bit of a heart---one who can still shed a tear for his sister. Wings Hauser puts in a good effort as the bounty hunter.
ACT OF PIRACY
Woohoo who could ask for more (except maybe a bigger part)? Definitely worth the rental to catch the longer hair and New York accent. AV's first pairing with Gary Busey (see "Diary of a Serial Killer" for the 2nd), but their scenes together are minimal. This movie contains a lot of violence, be warned.
PROGENY
A genuine "star" vehicle for AV, he finally plays the hero and romantic lead. A great film for fans of the sci-fi/horror genre. Along the lines of a gory episode of the X-Files. Brad Dourif, an X-Files vet, makes a much welcome cameo appearance towards the end of the film. Lots of AV throughout the film, great performance full of emotion. Fans of AV's "assets" get an eye-full. A definite rental/purchase for the diehard AV fan.
CIRCLES IN A FORREST
First of all, this film is top notch. Its basically a love story---but on two different levels. It tells of the love a poor South African tree cutter has for the forest and the creatures in it and also of the love he has for Kate, the English daughter of his boss and lifelong nemesis. I cannot do justice to this film in a few words, but it is definitely the film of AV's career so far and it is unfortunate that it is not more widely known. I can only hope we get to see more films of this calibre from AV in the future.
THE REVENGER
AV plays a coked out real estate agent who dabbles in pornography and ends up dragging his innocent friend (played by Frank Zagarino---who???) into his deadly dealings. AV ends up on the receiving end of a bullett early on, but is seen throughout the film in flashbacks. Obviously made in South Africa, which is doubling here as California--so AV does his best American accent in his Don Johnson clothes. Other actors fair less well and have their dialogue dubbed. AV's third pairing with Oliver Reed (see "Gor" and "Skeleton Coast"), but they don't have a scene together in any of these films!
SKELETON COAST
AV co-stars as Blade, a mercenary specializing in knives (hence the name!), who is assisting an American colonel retrieve his son from a political prison. Or so I think, this one was kinda hard to follow! AV again puts on an American accent--why oh why do they insist on covering this up! And, he costars again with Robert Vaughan ("Buried Alive") and Oliver Reed ("Gor" and "The Revenger"). There are also familiar faces here from "Act of Piracy" (the blonde in the absurd wonderbra!). If you like mindless action and lots of explosions, then this is the film for you. AV is given a rather lackluster part, but again makes the most of it. He even adds a bit of comedy as the tough mercenary afraid of flying. Worth a rental.
* You'll have to excuse my ignorence on this next story...I have no idea if this is a new release / old film, but "Jumping Jack Flash" was kind enough to send me this review...
ANGEL (Comedy/Drama)
Amen and Soentjie are two homeless people who live on a Square in Cape Town, South Africa. Their existence is harsh and unyielding, as they do daily battle with an unsympathetic world in their efforts to survive. They transcend the sordidness of there physical circumstances through a distinctive brand of humour. Theirs is an on-the edge spirituality, stripped of the trappings of respectability or comfortable normality yet, in our starkest moments, we would recognize a commonality with them. The film is both poignant and entertaining, with its colorfully authentic dialogue and offbeat humour, touching chords common to all. Screenplay: Daryn Leigh Jose ;Director: Barry Berk; Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
* "DIAMONDS" is a new film that will be released on South African shores starring James Small (the rugby player) and Christina Storm. It was described by Barry Ronge (South Africa's Roger Ebert) as "an impressive production to come out of South Africa" (.excuse me for a moment while I inject myself with 20 miligrams of morphine - DR. SOTHA).
NORTH AFRICA
* "Togo Nash" sent in this touching tribute to Djibril Diop Mambety in response to last weeks mention...take it away Togo...." Djibril Diop Mambety was born in Dakar, Senegal in 1945. An actor by training, Mambety became Involved in Cinema after leaving his position at the National Daniel Aorano Theater In Dakar, He directed Contra's City (City of Contrasts, 1969) and Badou Boy before making his first feature-length film Touki-Bouki (1973) which received world-wide acclaim for its revolutionary narrative style, Although he made a short film in 1989 (Parlons Grandmere), Mambety did not complete a second feature (Hyenas, 1992) for almost twenty years. He was in the process of editing his third feature when he died. To see his films is to stare into the soul of Africa" (go and find his films - DR. SOTHA).
* Staying with Djibril, I found this fascinating interview online, in which he talks about his films, experiences, dreams...life. This was probably the last question and answer session he gave before his death. DR. SOTHA urges you (scalpel in hand) to check this out RIGHT HERE
* Here's "LEELOO" with a bit of info on Kenya : Kenya's film industry was injected with life after "Love Brewed in the African Pot" first played in Nairobi it was one of the first African movies that was shown on the big screens. The film was sold out for months. I could see an audience for "Camp of Thiaroye," given the similarities between the historical circumstances of the Senegalese soldiers and the Carrier Corps in East Africa. The "The Blue Eyes of Yonta" speaks volumes on urban aspirations, "Sambizanga" reflection on the struggle for independence and for themes that many African audiences will be interested to see developed,definitely "Sankofa." Living in Kenya - films are a rare breed that seems to be catching on. (Glad to hear it - DR. SOTHA).
* Filming on "HANGTIME", one of the six short films in Zimmedia / M-Net's Mama Africa series, was completed in Johannesburg last week. Hangtime was written and directed by Nigerian filmmaker, Ngozi Onwurah, and is co-produced by Simon Onwurah's UK based Nigerian production company, NAP Films. Hangtime was facilitated in South Africa by Cynergy and post-production will take place in London. Mama Africa was conceptualised in a bid to counter stereotypical representations of African women and contemporary issues in Africa.
* "FROM BABYLON TO ZION" is a BBC documentary that takes a journey with a Rasta poet, Levi Tefari, who trips from Babylon to Zion (Ethiopa) to explore the meaning of identity for rastafarians. Levi identifies himself with Africans in general. Former Ethiopian dictator Haile Selassie bequeathed land for all rastas who wished to denounce damnation in the west and return to "paradise". Having watched this earlier in the week, I can swear an oath to you, that it's just plain fascinating, insightful and when you get a quote like this from the Dutch police, "weed is the reason why no hooliganism took place among football fans watching EURO 2000 around Amsterdam" (Gotta love the Dutch), just plain perfect timing. The doc will air again on BBC over the weekend.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
* I have something for you blaxploitation film lovers, and given that "Shaft" is number one in North America, I managed to needle me way into a few posters related to this "damn cool" genre. This first is a poster of "BLACK ORPHEUS", a film that I can honestly say changed my life...
The second is a Richard Pryor classic called "BLUE COLLAR"...
.and finally the third called "BOSS NIGGER" (You damn right) It's one of those impowerment flicks that's totally different than what you expect from just reading the title...
So there you have it, a little taste of 3 totally different Afro-American movies for all you who E-mailed me asking for a dose of that kind of medicine.
AFRICAN COAXIAL
* Sogolon Puppet Theater, THE KENNEDY CENTER, Washington, DC, July 3 - 5, 2000. Don't miss celebrated puppeteer, YaYa Coulibaly, introducing American audiences to traditional Malian Puppet Theater with his Sogolon Marionettes(Thanks to "Gipo").
* The Sunday Times Metro reports that actress Shaleen Surtie-Richards is to quit her role on pay-TV station M-Net's soap, Egoli, and host her own talk show on the same channel from August. Surtie-Richards was quoted as saying that the show, which has been given a prime-time 7pm slot on Tuesdays, will reflect "real people" in the country, rather than concentrate on politicians and celebrities (hmmm, excuse me if I don't get to excited - I'd rather spend my time operating on a lemmur).
*Oremi by Angelique Kidjo is a new musical album by Benin-born Afropop star Angelique Kidjo. It will rock you, but her music is ultimately a wave of higher consciousness, and will appeal to the New Age voice inside you. (Thanks to "Ziggy Starsand").
*SABC / Indie sector workshop breaks ground On 2 June, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the independent production sector, represented by the Independent Producers Organisation (IPO) and the Consortium of African Film and Television Practitioners (CAFTEP), held a second workshop to discuss critical matters pertaining to the local industry. A task team has recommended that an independent researcher be appointed to investigate existing structures and / or agreements governing producer /broadcaster relationships both locally and internationally. This information will assist the task team in formulating the structure, modus operandi and status of the forum and its processes.(Ho Hum - DR. SOTHA)
*Audiovisual Entrepreneurs of Africa (AVEA) is a 21 day workshop consisting of 3 x 7 day sessions taking place within one year (2000). The workshop is based on EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), a training initiative for European film producers of the EU Media Program and comprises the following segments: Development; Packaging and Finance; Finance and Distribution. Independent producers who have their own production companies or experienced production managers who wish to develop as creative producers can enter. AVEA will select 10 - 20 producers from Southern Africa. Two categories of participants will be accepted: producers with projects in development and producers without projects. For further information please contact Gina Bonmariage email: moyen@netactive.co.za.
