The Film and Publication Board will host the Johannesburg Premier of Award Winning Rights of Passage since its screening at the 36th Durban International Film Festival.
The Film and Publication Board's Rights of Passage is an anthology
feature film of eight short stories linked by a thematic thread and African
proverbs. A representative from the Rights of Passage film remarks, "We're honoured to
host the Johannesburg premiere of Rights of Passage. It won the Production Merit Award at the Durban International Film Festival. The film has given film graduates of the Youth Filmmakers Project an opportunity to
make their first professional film. Their talents and skills to produce films will be developed to meet both national and
international standards," says Mr Themba P. Wakashe, Chief Executive
Officer of the FPB.
Written and directed by
first time filmmakers Ntombizodwa Magagula, Mapula Sibanda, Lerato Moloi,
Valencia Joshua, Zandile Angeline Wardle, Tony Miyambo, Rethabile Mothobi,
Yashvir Bagwandeen, Kgatlhiso Sephiri and Ayanda Soboyisi, the film was an
official selection of the 36th edition of the Durban International Film
Festival.
Under the subtheme Love
and Loss in the Time of Mandela, it is a fictional feature film made by
first-time young black filmmakers who were born around the time when Nelson
Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected President and who
entered young adulthood during the last years of Mandela’s remarkable
life.
South African producers
Natives at Large and Jungle Works partnered with the National Film and Video
Foundation of South Africa and the KZN Film Commission to give the graduates a
platform for young filmmakers to tell their story and out of this came a rare
and spirited depiction of relationships amongst the youth of South Africa.
"It's important to
support local filmmakers, and in particular young filmmakers, and give them a
platform to showcase their work. It also allows South Africans to engage them and discuss the
issues and stories they are telling," continues Wakashe.
Initially, fifteen
projects were selected for development as part of Youth Filmmaker Project,
ranging from stories of sexuality, gender, domestic violence, a search for a
missing father to freedom of expression. After a five months script development
process, eight scripts were short listed for production. Six of the eight films where directed by young women filmmakers.
Under the guidance and
mentorship of Bhekizizwe Peterson, Neville Josie, Ramadan Suleman,
international partners (Jacques Bidou) and script consultant (Franz
Rodenkirchen), their scripts were then produced by Natives At
Large and Jungle Works.
Ramadan Suleman mentored
the young directors on the shoot. The film was edited by Vuyani Sondlo.
Rights of Passage portrays the
search for love, belonging and healing amidst the rites and turmoil of everyday
life. It offers a rare, honest, resilient and creative insight into the
concerns and experiences of black youth in contemporary South Africa.
About the Youth Filmmaker Project
This is an initiative
of Natives at Large and Jungle Works in partnership with the National Film
& Video Foundation of South Africa, Kwa-Zulu-Natal Film Commission among
others.
Its objectives are:
·
To build, strengthen and nurture first time writers
and directors so that they can realise their first films with all the support necessary
to achieve the highest level of storytelling and production values.
·
To showcase new South African stories from a
youthful perspective at both a national and global level.
·
To give first time writers and directors the
opportunity to collaborate closely with local and international industry
professionals including producers, writers, script editors, editors, sound and
production designers, amongst others, so that they can understand the entire
production environment.
·
To expose young South African writers and directors
to alternative cinema rather than only American mainstream cinema.
About the Film
and Publication Board
The Film and Publication
Board (FPB) is a public entity established in terms of the Films and
Publications Act 65 of 1996, as amended. The purpose of the FPB is to regulate
the creation, production, possession and distribution of certain publications,
games and films.
For more information
contact:
Natives at Large
Brenda Sisane
SPIN Productions
Cell: +27 72 754 0212 Email: sisane@iafrica.com
Or
Janine Raftopoulos
Film and Publication Board
Manager: Communications and Public Education
Cell: +27 71 444 3121
Email: janine.raftopoulos@fpb.org.za
