SOUTH Africans can brace themselves for an international movie co-produced by the creator of SABC1 drama series Intersexions, Uzanenkosi Mahlangu.
The movie, Asylum Down, will be co-produced and directed by Samad Davis, producer of The Spirited Actor - the 10-week series on DStv's Mzansi Magic that is searching for the next African Hollywood superstar.
The series kicked off on Sunday April 21 and the winner will co-star with US actor Morris Chestnut in a movie and also bag a one-year contract with a Hollywood agent.
In Asylum Down, Chestnut, who is best known for his roles in Boyz n the Hood and The Best Man, plays a reluctant Tswana king who has to make certain decisions that will impact on his kingdom.
US filmmaker Davis was thinking about making a film based on the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana when Mahlangu convinced him to film the movie in South Africa based on the Royal Bafokeng tribe of North West.
"The film is basically about a reluctant king or someone not in line to be king, but circumstances necessitate it.
"He wants to ensure that resources being exported to other countries be used in his country and benefit his people. Those decisions could affect businesses and Wall Street [New York Stock Exchange located at 11 Wall Street]," Mahlangu said.
Davis said he had done some work in East Africa, which began his interest in a movie about African resources and kingdoms. "No one knows what a modern-day chief looks like, certainly not in the US," Davis said yesterday.
Chestnut said he would be working with a coach in the US to master the Tswana language. "When I heard about the film I thought it was an excellent chance for me to stretch myself as an actor and to learn the [Tswana] culture, language and concepts," he said.
The film is still in its infancy as the script is going to be revised, and pre-production is likely to start in January. As they are looking for funding from the Department of Trade and Industry, they will be required to film 75% of the movie in SA, while the rest will be shot in New York and London.
Mahlangu said being in a big-budget film and being paired with someone who has Box Office history is an experience. - nkosin@sowetan.co.za
Big break for local film
SOUTH Africans can brace themselves for an international movie co-produced by the creator of SABC1 drama series Intersexions, Uzanenkosi Mahlangu.
The movie, Asylum Down, will be co-produced and directed by Samad Davis, producer of The Spirited Actor - the 10-week series on DStv's Mzansi Magic that is searching for the next African Hollywood superstar.
The series kicked off on Sunday April 21 and the winner will co-star with US actor Morris Chestnut in a movie and also bag a one-year contract with a Hollywood agent.
In Asylum Down, Chestnut, who is best known for his roles in Boyz n the Hood and The Best Man, plays a reluctant Tswana king who has to make certain decisions that will impact on his kingdom.
US filmmaker Davis was thinking about making a film based on the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana when Mahlangu convinced him to film the movie in South Africa based on the Royal Bafokeng tribe of North West.
"The film is basically about a reluctant king or someone not in line to be king, but circumstances necessitate it.
"He wants to ensure that resources being exported to other countries be used in his country and benefit his people. Those decisions could affect businesses and Wall Street [New York Stock Exchange located at 11 Wall Street]," Mahlangu said.
Davis said he had done some work in East Africa, which began his interest in a movie about African resources and kingdoms. "No one knows what a modern-day chief looks like, certainly not in the US," Davis said yesterday.
Chestnut said he would be working with a coach in the US to master the Tswana language. "When I heard about the film I thought it was an excellent chance for me to stretch myself as an actor and to learn the [Tswana] culture, language and concepts," he said.
The film is still in its infancy as the script is going to be revised, and pre-production is likely to start in January. As they are looking for funding from the Department of Trade and Industry, they will be required to film 75% of the movie in SA, while the rest will be shot in New York and London.
Mahlangu said being in a big-budget film and being paired with someone who has Box Office history is an experience. - nkosin@sowetan.co.za
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