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SPOTLIGHT | 'The Contractor' released; awards buzz; school holiday cinema fun; win prizes

Chris Pine action thriller in cinemas, we preview local film 'Thando', and a full Easter holiday programme is on offer at the movies for families and kids

Spotlight is our entertainment bite-sized snapshot featuring new entertainment releases in SA, exclusive film trailers and much more. New episodes are out every Thursday on Sunday Times Lifestyle, Sowetan Entertainment and on YouTube, plus you can follow Spotlight on Facebook.

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Click here to find previous episodes of Spotlight with all the movie news you need and follow Spotlight on Facebook for all the latest news and giveaways

In this week’s episode of Spotlight, we look at Chris Pine’s new action thriller, The Contractor, what’s on at cinemas for the Easter school holidays, upcoming local film Thando and the beautiful award-winning people and films from the Bafta, Critics Choice and Directors Guild awards.

Ben Foster, Kiefer Sutherland and Gillian Jacobs team up with Chris Pine in The Contractor, in which an army veteran takes a job with a private contracting firm and becomes embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy. From the producers of Sicario, Greenland and John Wick, The Contractor offers high-speed action for fans of this genre.

We have a look at Ster-Kinekor Cinemas’ “Weekly Wonders” offerings for families and children of all ages during the school and Easter holidays. Big screen releases include Fireheart, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore and Chickenhare & the Hamster of Darkness as holiday entertainment offerings. Be sure not to miss these between now and April 22.

Spotlight also features a roundup of the front-runners as the awards season builds up to the Oscars (March 27). This past week saw the Bafta, Critics Choice and Directors Guild awards selecting Power of the Dog (Netflix), Belfast, King Richard, Encanto, West Side Story and Dune as major category winners, and there is plenty of prediction speculation as we enter the home stretch to the Academy Awards.

Don’t miss the first trailer footage of local cinema release Thando, with Zikhona Bali in the title role. The film tackles themes around teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds, bullies and blessers, and Spotlight will keep you posted with more access and interviews in the weeks leading up to its cinema debut on April 8.

For full interviews, breaking news, trailers, clips and competition details, visit our Spotlight Facebook page. See you at the movies!

Presenter Collette Prince is dressed by Kalea Collective.

Stand a chance to win merchandise, tickets and prizes

  1. To celebrate Ster-Kinekor Cinemas’ “Weekly Wonders” school holiday movie offerings, we have participating movies merchandise (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and The Bad Guys) and complimentary movie tickets to give away.
  2. To celebrate the release of Cyrano, Spotlight is giving away a signature Canto Macaron and MCC tasting.

To enter, visit the Spotlight South Africa Facebook page.

Terms and conditions apply.

Winners will be drawn randomly and notified by SMS after the competition has closed.  Entrants’ personal details will not be retained for marketing purposes. Winners have to provide proof of age (ID/driver’s licence) and cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. By entering participants agree to have their names published on TimesLIVE, SowetanLIVE and Spotlight South Africa on Facebook. Employees of Arena Holdings and their family members are not eligible to enter.