south african directors manie van rensburg katinka heyns jans rautenbach ross devenish bibliography

INTRODUCTION This year The South African Film Industry celebrates its 108th Birthday! It sure has come a long way, since South Africa was one of the first countries in the world to see (and hear) sound motion picture. From the Kinetoscope to the new millenium, here follows a brief discussion on the history of THE SOUTH AFRICAN FILM INDUSTRY The origins of Documentary Filmmaking dates back to the Anglo-Boer War, when W.K.L. Dickson (who had perfected the motion picture camera and had worked for Thomas A. Edison) set out for South Africa in 1899 to record this war on film. The use of film, as a new medium for propaganda, was discovered and exploited during this time. By 1908 the topical film was the most popular. Trick and comic film popularity shifted to dramatic films. "The Great Kimberly Diamond Robbery" (1910) was the first South African full-length feature drama film produced entirely in the country. During the 1930's Afrikaans nationalism was emerging as a force and reached new levels of intensity during the 1940's. "Sarie Marais" (1931) portrayed the English/British cultural and economic imperialism negatively (the desire to spread the British language, culture and influence even where they were unwelcome). The National Censorship Act of 1931 was passed by Parliament, followed by the Entertainment Act, which demanded that all cinematic material be cleared before exhibition. This Afrikaans nationalism found expression in a number of Afrikaans-language films. South Africa's first political thriller, Jans Rautenbach's "Die Kandidaat" was released in 1967, questioning the boundaries of Afrikaans identity. Rautenbach and Emil Nofal's "Wild Season" was a milestone work dealing with the generation gap between a forbidding fisherman and his learned son. By 1969 Afrikaner capital was a significant factor in the industry: This year also saw the successful release of Rautenbach's "Katrina" (also produced by Emil Nofal, who died in 1986). "Katrina"(1968) is about love across the colour line, and tells the story of a coloured doctor and white woman who fall in love. Filmed in Paarl and Cape Town, "Katrina" also features the invisible people of Apartheid South Africa (blacks and coloureds) in the background, the sixties slum neighbourhoods tidied up and sanitized for the sake of the film. With the fragmentation of the industry in the 1980's there was a blossoming of independent cinema, much of it highly critical of apartheid. Films of this sort include Katinka Heyns' "Die Storie van Klara Viljee", Manie van Rensburg's "The Fourth Reich", and the Darrell Roodt trilogy: "Place Of Weeping", "The Stick" (1987) and "Jobman". The anti-Apartheid independent films such as "Place of Weeping", were seen by only a few South Africans. Even if they were not banned, the big distribution companies (Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro) would not touch them. Instead, they were distributed through a small number of independent venues. In fact, these films were more widely screened overseas than they were in South Africa. Since then Ster-Kinekor, Nu Metro and United International Pictures have owned the majority of cinemas in South Africa. These companies controlled the distribution of films here. They almost exclusively showed films made in Hollywood (or in Europe) because films made overseas were generally accompanied by slick and well funded marketing campaigns that got consumers into the cinema and ensured a good profit for the cinema-chain. As a consequence most South African cinemagoers were only exposed to foreign films, and rarely got to see serious South African (or African) films. By 1985 there were many subsidy scandals involving unscrupulous individuals and companies who produced "visual diarrhea" (SAHistory : 2003) in order to benefit financially from the scheme. At the beginning of the 1990's there were several co-productions, including Darrell Roodt's "Cry, the Beloved Country". The following is a discussion on five of South Africa's most influencial directors: Manie van Rensburg, Katinka Heyns, Jans Rautenbach, Ross Devenish and Darrell Roodt. MANIE VAN RENSBURG Manie Van Rensburg began as the cameraman in "Hoor My Lied" (1967). He directed and financed his first film "Freddy's in Love" at the age of 22. He started with R140 in the bank and a large section of the film was made in black-and-white, because he couldn't afford colour film stock. He didn't have any money for lights, so his production assistant who worked as a stage manager at Johannesburg's Civic Theatre would borrow what the film team needed. The film was eventually a character study of loneliness in cold, bleak Hillbrow. Van Rensburg formed his own independent film company, Visio Films, in 1969. In the 1980's he received an International Film Festival of New York award for his historical TV drama series, "Heroes", and a Merit Award from the London Film Festival was given to him for his filmed play, "The Native who Caused all the Trouble". His mammoth production "The Fourth Reich" was screened at Cannes, however, in a version not acceptable to Van Rensburg. He received an Honourary Prize from the South African Academy of Science and Art for Cultural achievements in cinema. The Star newspaper's Tonight Award was given to him four times. The South African Broadcasting Corporation's Artes Award was presented to him twice, and he also received awards from the Afrikaanse Taal en kultuurvereniging, the M-Net Vita Award for Best Director, and the Idem Award for direction of "Die Vuurtoring". In Cape Town he met Johan van Jaarsveld, a writer who became his partner, and under the umbrella of Visio Films, his best television work followed. This relationship with the SABC, however, was cut after Van Rensburg decided to travel to Dakar, Senegal, in 1987. The 52 South Africans he accompanied mainly included Afrikaans speaking people, like Van Rensburg's friend, Van Zyl Slabbert, a prominent oppositional political figure of the time. The conference in Dakar was a joint undertaking between the Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (Idasa) and the ANC. When Van Rensburg returned to South Africa, he found himself out of work at the SABC. For two years he couldn't work. With the establishment of FAWO he hoped to find a sympathetic, progressive group to support him in his work. "From Today No More" was his contribution to the new critical cinema about apartheid, and it established him as part of the new movement. Originally titled "The Native Who Caused All the Trouble" (1988), this feature film tells of a cheeky black African who challenges the 1913 Land Act that reserves 87 percent of South Africa for white ownership. "Taxi to Soweto" (1992) quite clearly illustrates his critical thoughts on white racial attitudes and experiences. Historical origins and effects of apartheid are found in "The Fourth Reich" (1990) and reveals the inner turmoil of white South Africans of various races. Van Rensburg's cinema career can be divided into three periods: his Afrikaans films (1971 to 1975), Television work (1976 to 1987) and International films (1988 onwards). "Doktor Con Viljee se Overberg" (1981) earned him the Tonight Award in 1982. Manie van Rensburg essentially deals with three periods of Afrikaner people: The 1930's Trauma of Urbanisation and the Struggle for Land (1983's "Verspeelde Lente"), The Rise of Afrikaner Nationalism (1985's "Heroes") and The Urban Afrikaner of the 1970's and 1980's (1984's "Die Vuurtoring" and 1991's "Taxi to Soweto"). KATINKA HEYNS "Katinka Heyns is die laaste groot Afrikaanse regisseur." (Crous : LitNet FilmFundi : 2003) This acclaimed actress, director and producer first won the collective heart of South Africa as an actress in films such as Jans Rautenbach's "Katrina" (1969) and in the television series "Willem". She then, in conjunction with her husband Afrikaans novelist and critic Chris Barnard, went on to create Sonneblom Films. This production company primarilly makes movies for television such as "De Dood van Elmien Alder" (1945). She is highly honoured for her first feature film "Fiela se Kind" (1988), based on Dalene Mathee's pivotal novel, which made a strong anti-apartheid statement, as well as "Die storie van Klara Viljee", a feminist film supporting the rights of female individuals. "Fiela se Kind" gained notoriety for it's critical reversal of racial stereotypes. It is set in the 1880's and tells the story of a white orphan found and raised within a successful colored farming community who is "taken away by other whites and forced to live with an utterly destitute family in a terrible forest because colonialists believed that it was better for a white to be raised in a white home, no matter how miserable the living conditions". (Sandra Brennan : All Movie Guide : Entertainment) Her feature film "Paljas" (1998) was the first South African film to be accepted as an entry in the Oscar Awards category for Best Foreign Film. Paljas is about the relationship between a circus clown and a young boy, and the miraculous way in which this relationship manages to heal the lives of a troubled family. Anant Singh was the producer on Paljas, and the film marked the first collaboration between Heyns and himself. The film is a truly South African one, shot by local crew and cast, in an indigenous language. What is interesting, is that it was filmed simultaneously in an English version as well. JANS RAUTENBACH "Wat het geword van die dae van Jans Rautenbach?" (Crous : LitNet FilmFundi : 2003) <Tab/>Between 1956 and 1978 genre films (especially in Afrikaans) earned higher returns than imported fare. Exceptions which interrogated apartheid exposed white South Africans to new critical styles. Amongst these were the expressionism of Jans Rautenbach's "Jannie Totsiens" (1970).<Tab/> He was an active figure in the South African film industry during the 1970's. He was not pro-Apartheid at all. Indeed, with films such as "Die kandidaat" and "Katrina" (1969) he questioned the Apartheid-regime thoroughly. Especially with "Katrina", Rautenbach took on issues of race at a time when it was not easy to do so, given his terribly conservative constituency. Although his theme changed slightly with "No One Cries Forever" (1984), he is still set on voicing his views on politics, crime and even religion. "In this gripping Swedish drama, a South African girl is captured and forced to become a hooker. It's a horrible life, but eventually the girl escapes and finds santuary and love on a remote game reserve. Unfortunately, her former employer finds her and carves up the girl's face, causing her lover to head off for bloody revenge." (Brennen : All Movie Guide : 2003) ROSS DEVENISH <Tab/>We undoubtedly find neo-realism in Athol Fugard and Ross Devenish's "Boesman and Lena" (1973), "The Guest" (1978) and "Marigolds in August" (1980). "Boesman en Lena" was the first feature film to portray the poverty and enforced removals of people classified as black. This remains unfortunately theatrical and wordy but nevertheless an extremely moving tale of a cape coloured couple on the road after their shanty is destroyed by government action. It won a gold and silver medal at the 6th Atlanta Film Festival in the United States. "The Guest" (also known as "Die Besoeker") won at the Locarno Film Festival, becoming one of the most acclaimed South African films. The film, based on a play, concerns the last days of one of South Africa's most unique minds - the writer Eugene N. Marais. "The Guest" describes his anguish, addiction to morphine and eventual suicide and stars Athol Fugard and Marius Weyers. "Marigolds in August" was based on an Athol Fugard play, and starred Fugard himself as well as John Kani. It won a special award at the 1980 Film Festival in Uzbek, Russia, as well as two awards at the Berlin Film festival. It also won a Rapport Oscar for the best local film of the year. Devenish left the country soon after making the film, and spent the next 23 years in England, returning to South Africa only in 2002. DARRELL ROODT Probably one of this local filmmaker's biggest achievements is his highly acclaimed "Cry, the Beloved Country" (1995). But Darrell Roodt had as much difficulty with making movies in South Africa, as the other directors mentioned. In 1986, "Place of Weeping", produced by Anant Singh, became a landmark film both for the anti-apartheid movement, and for alternative cinema in South Africa. Singh personally financed the film, and it was the first anti-apartheid motion picture to be made entirely in South Africa and released for general distribution to both black and multiracial cinemas. Receiving worldwide acclaim, it was released theatrically in the United States and most global territories. It was also the only South African film to play on US TV channel HBO (Home Box Office). In 1987, Anant Singh and Darrell Roodt released the introspective war movie "The Stick". Banned for many years, "this film argued that being at war for something you do not believe in is madness itself." (Titles : Blackstar : 2003) Roodt directed "Sarafina!". It tells the story of the 1976 Soweto uprisings and was shot on location in Soweto. Based on the stage production by actor-musician Mbongeni Ngema, the film boasts stars such as Leleti Khumalo, Miriam Makeba and Whoopi Goldberg. "Sarafina!" grossed $8 million in the United States. Along with Leleti Khumalo, Darrell Roodt made another attempt at socio-political filmmaking with the remake of the abovementioned "Cry, the Beloved Country", also produced by Singh. The first version was directed by Zoltan Korda in 1951, based on the book by Alan Paton. CONCLUSION Approximately 944 features were made in South Africa from 1971 to 1991, as well as nearly 998 documentaries and several hundred short films and videos. With outstanding achievements from the discussed directors, we have no other option as to honour them in their remarkable filmmaking. With influences like those, we can and will build the South African Film Industry for the next 108 years! BIBLIOGRAPHY - and other websites visited - Giannetti, L<Tab/>Understanding Movies<Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>Prentice-Hall <Tab/>8th Edition 1999 Monaco, J <Tab/>How to read a film<Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>Oxford <Tab/>3rd Edition 2000 Nowell-Smith, G. <Tab/>The Oxford History of World Cinema <Tab/><Tab/>Oxford University Press 1996 Botha, M.P.<Tab/>Study Guide: FAP100 www.kinema.uwaterloo.ca <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>www. geocities.com<Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><T ab/><Tab/><Tab/>www.dmoz.org <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>www. ntva.org.za <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>www. und.ac.za <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>www. members.aol.com <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>www. sahistory.org.za <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>www. entertainment.msn.com <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>www. blackstar.co.uk . five of South Africa's most influencial directors: Manie van Rensburg, Katinka Heyns, Jans Rautenbach, Ross Devenish and Darrell Roodt. MANIE VAN RENSBURG Manie. of apartheid. Films of this sort include Katinka Heyns& apos; "Die Storie van Klara Viljee", Manie van Rensburg& apos;s "The Fourth Reich",