Putting South African Films On The World Stage

by Clayton Truscott

For South African filmmakers, the 2000’s may be remembered as the decade where their contributions to film were recognized far beyond their borders.

In 2005, Tsotsi became the first South African film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Tsotsi is about a gang leader who steals a baby from a mother whose car he stole. Interestingly, the film’s director, Gavin Hood, went on to direct X-Men Origins: Wolverine, released in May 2009.

In August 2009, District 9 premiered in theatres. Promotion for this film can best be summed up in three concepts: aliens, Johannesburg, and producer Peter Jackson, best known as director of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. District 9’s sci-fi interpretation of South African apartheid was widely praised as one of the most original films to come along in years. And, the film was comprised mostly of South African cast and crew.

The success of District 9 arguably put the South African film industry on the map for good.  And even though building it up to becoming an industry that can compete and exist on the same playing field as Hollywood and Bollywood won’t happen overnight, it is possible with the kind of talent S.A. is starting to foster.
I recently caught up with groundbreaking South African filmmaker, Simon Hansen, who has been on the boil of activity since the early 1990’s. His résumé is hard to top within the borders of his homeland, South Africa, having been involved in a number of hefty productions performing a number of roles – from producing, to digital effects, developing new cameras, to writing and directing. In 2005 he co-produced the short film, Alive in Joburg, which is what District 9 was based on. The other co-producer was Sharlto Copley, who stars in the feature-length District 9. Neill Blomkamp directed the original short and the feature film.

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