TD Jakes backs Winnie
ACCLAIMED preacher, president and chief executive of TDJ Enterprises, Bishop TD Jakes, has given two locally brewed feature films a shot in the arm.
Jakes has signed on as an executive producer of Winnie, the untold love story of Winnie and Nelson Mandela, and the recently released A Million Colours.
The two films have just been released at cinemas throughout South Africa.
Winnie stars Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson and Academy Award nominee Terrance Howard.
The recently released A Million Colours is the opening film at the 2012 Hollywood Black Film Festival.
TDJ Enterprises will help develop American marketing and distribution channels for both films.
Andre Pieterse, chief executive of Ma-Afrika Films, said the TDJ brand and its attachment elevated the films to the status to which the creative team and cast had aspired during production.
Jakes said Winnie was a sensitive and balanced portrayal that examined the controversies and conquests in the life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
"It also explores in a way that no other film has, the nature of love and relationships in the midst of political turmoil and struggle under the apartheid."
Hudson said she was compelled and moved by the script.
"Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I'm honoured to be the actress asked to portray her," she said.
Hudson confined herself day and night to the prison set where scenes were shot depicting Madikizela-Mandela's 500-plus days in solitary confinement.
She said she "wanted to experience some of the hell that woman went through".
"They snatched her out of her home and she had no idea what happened to her children. This was real.
"As a woman, I am angry for her, hurting for her," Hudson said.
The leading cast is supported by Canadian actors Elias Koteas, Wendy Crewson and a group of South African cast and crew.
The film features the title song Bleed for Love, performed by Hudson accompanied by the Soweto Gospel Choir.
LOVE BIRDS: Jennifer Hudson plays the role of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Terrence Howard stars as Nelson Mandela in the film Winnie. 
Comments
TKay
jaa nee...one day I will play Michelle ObamaReport Abuse
MsKinkyakaKamaSutra
Terence Howard........ damn, you are HOTT!! and............................Eish after hearing that your w.ife is divorcing you becuase of abuse, fukc my crush on you just flew out the window
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swona
TDJ is a man of clothe who knows how to place himself where a great opportunity is and does not have drama like abo Mboro and company!Report Abuse
Sboro
Must be a good story. Pity though it is told through American actors as if we don't have talent here at home...........but then again he who pays the piper calls the tune, we are told.Report Abuse
Shredder
TKayjaa nee...one day I will play Michelle Obama
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Ja, you are right. These Americans playing bo Mandela le bo Winnie. I wonder if they fake their accents again trying to South Africanise them
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guiliano
will they be able to speak a little bit of isixhosa? if not whats the use watching it?Report Abuse
golezwa
we have lot of actors locally who can potray this roles with perfection but our film makers just dont believe in our ownReport Abuse
leshwabane
WHERE IS OUR LOCAL ACTORS????????FOREIGNERS TELLING OUR OWN STORIES JA NE!
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Tabza325is
As long as our local film makers are not willing to tell our stories, international producers will continue buy1ng our stories and bring in their own actors to tell our stories, they are still many untold stories that our film makers can make and bring in our local actors, question is will they or will our local industry continue to moan about what they don't initiate.Report Abuse
TheDictator
@leshwabaneWHERE IS OUR LOCAL ACTORS????????
FOREIGNERS TELLING OUR OWN STORIES JA NE
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Put up money into the RSA film industry then you gonna tell your own story.Nigerians are telling their stories,they take a Blackberry and use its camera to shoot a movie.Why cant you?
Take your Blackberries,get some groupies on the way and go to Mamelodi and shoot a movie.Soweto TV will definitely play it.
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