South African Short Film to Screen At Cannes Film Festival
33 Films, a South African Production Company produced an independent Short Film ‘The Beginning’, which has been accepted by and will participate in the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in France. Today we say Big Up to the producer, Shaun Naidoo, who is so ecstatic that this passion project has gained recognition from arguably the most prestigious film festival in the world. The film will participate at the festival as part of the short film corner.
The Beginning’ stars Tumisho Masha and Letoya Mangezi, two familiar faces in the South African film and television scene.
Synopsis:
The story is about Lisa (Mangezi), a mother dealing with the loss of her young child. We are introduced to her as she is having breakfast with a man named George (Masha) sitting across from her. With George’s help and guidance, Lisa goes through various emotional stages as she comes to terms with her own mortality. A number of questions and themes are explored and the viewer is left with a particular perspective that is contrasted against their own belief.
We chatted to Producer Shaun Naidoo to get some insight into the man behind 33 Films:
What was your role in this project?
“I was one of the producers which in the context of a small budget film, means I did any and everything. The role of a producer is very logistical and perhaps managerial in nature. You are ultimately responsible to ensure that the production runs smoothly. Luckily for me, I was flanked by two other strong producers in Tumisho and Brad”.
Is it harder to get started or to keep going? What was the particular thing that you had to conquer to do either?
I think it is harder to keep going than to get started, and I think this is true for most things in life. For me, I started in television production and for the first 3 months, I had to work for free just to prove myself. Staying relevant, and often simply staying employed is extremely difficult. One’s desire to keep going has to be matched with hard work and strong relationships.
How have you discovered members of your team and how do you keep the relationship with them strong?
Brad, who wrote and directed The Beginning, directed a corporate project for me a few years ago. We clicked and our relationship has grown steadily over the years. I met Tumisho when I booked him to do some voice over work on some radio and TV commercials I was producing.
As a trio, we have grown extremely close and are already producing our next film project together. Our relationship stays strong because we share a common interest and have each other’s best interest at heart.
What makes a film great for you? Are there certain qualities that make a film better?
I think any great film will ultimately tell a story, and tell it well. Irrespective of the genre, if a film has a universally appealing story, then it will capture the audience. I think the better film is the one that has a high production quality and strong performances.
What did you do to keep it fresh and different from films we’ve seen before?
The Beginning is a short film which in itself can be very tricky. You have a limited amount of time to tell a story so every detail is vital to doing that. In this film, we explored some deep human themes and introduced a perspective on life, which we think is unique.
What are your expectations at Cannes?
Just being a participating film at the world’s oldest film festival is enough for us already. We are however very excited and hopeful to gain some traction for our next project which is a full length feature film. In addition to a festival, Cannes also has a market section with many potential buyers and distributors etc. so we are looking to connect with these people.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a life/career creating films?
My advice would be to start as early as possible. And take on any role you can get your hands on, just so you learn about all aspects of the process. When I first started, my job was to label tapes – I’ve since worked in almost all capacities in production.
The film has been entered into a number of festivals in South Africa and internationally with Cannes being the first international film festival it will be screened at this year.
The Beginning is not available for public viewing as yet, but the trailer can be viewed here:
The entire film was shot on location in Johannesburg, South Africa. Newcomer Bradley Katzen wrote, directed and edited the film and also designed the original score. This short film is a product of passion but it is also the result of many favors. They funded the film mostly by themselves, but there were many people that provided vital support with no benefit to them. And all they had to do was ask.
