Wednesday, August 25, 2010

August rush to the BMW Polo




A panorama of the West Stand at Inanda. The place was packed!

The BMW International Polo at Inanda in Johannesburg was posh-but-relaxed and the early spring day turned out to be superb. A great crowd turned out to see Chile play South Africa and the BMW marquee held a record number of guests. The marquee was beautifully decorated in black and white with accents of fresh zesty green and many of the guests followed suit. The WASPy crowd of days gone by has dissolved into a more rainbow reflection of our nation and the black diamonds who flocked to the polo were of 24-carat quality.

Everything was going champion Chile's way until South Africa turned the tables and beat the visiting team 7-5. It may have been the presence of polo's whizzkid Jean du Plessis on the team!



Chile bites ... Giving our boys a good run for their money.



Isi-stickwork! Trying to give the ball a good clobber



Pattern of behaviour ...Each of the tables was beautifully decorated.



Even though the days of stomping the divots are over these three still found the time to see and be seen.



Bay watch ... or should that be 'babe'?



Close to the action ... picnic'ing pologoers enjoyed the game in style, despite the dust.



The big cheeses ... Moetetsi Mbeki, BMW PR Guy Trefoil and Bodo Donauer, the MD of BMW South Africa, with Shenila Mohamed.



Hats for Africa ... Pallu boutique owner Peta Eggieth-Symes with Michael de Pinna and Carolyn Steyn in matching pistachio-green hats.



A bit of posh ... better than a Panama!



More of the interior of the BMW marquee.



DJ Mr Edwards and Idols singer Graeme Watkins.



Lerato Ngwane, Zama Ngwane and Linda Makhanya.



In camera ... taking the photographer's picture!

ALL PICTURES BY SHAYNE DOYLE

Thursday, August 12, 2010

This one ain't no Hollywood Hijack story!




Oliver Schmitz at Cannes.

It was a moment of absolute magic at this year's Cannes Film Festival ... when South African born-and-bred Life, Above All got a ten-minute standing ovation at the Cannes World Cinema Showcase. A seasoned yet appreciative audience of critics called it a "heart-warmer” and a “tear-jerker”. Their response was a really big deal and boded well for the film's future.

Life, Above All is the story of a young girl (newbie actress Khomotso Manyaka) who plays 12-year-old Chanda, who has to battle against the gossip, superstition and lies which are poisoning her small village near Johannesburg. Her baby brother dies suddenly and the community of Elandsdoorn gossips that this is because her mother has HIV. So she goes on a journey to restore her mother’s dignity. The movie is based on the international award-winning novel Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton.

South African filmmaker Oliver Schmitz is no stranger to Cannes, this was his third time there. He took Mapantsula to Cannes in 1988 when it was selected for Un Certain Regard. He is also known for his movie Hijack Stories and a directorship in iconic movie Paris, Je T'aime.

Oliver was recently in Durban to promote the movie at the Durban Film Festival, held at the Suncoast Centre. I caught up with him there ...

My first questions to him were:

Q: Is there life ahead for Life, Above All? What now? What reaction did it get from South African audiences?

"Even though the Durban audience, was a lot more laid back than at Cannes the reaction was great. People were very emotional and responsive and the audience was appreciative."

Q: Any chance of an Oscar?

"Yes, I do hope Life Above All will be nominated for an Oscar. In terms of quality it should be taken seriously. The distributors in South Africa are NuMetro and there will be screenings next month (September) to qualify the film for the Oscars. Already there are three of four lobbyists in the States working towards this. Lobbying for an Oscar is treated almost like a political campaign."

Q: Is local more lekker? South Africans telling their own stories and using their own actors?

Oliver believes it is important to fight for projects that are genuinely South African and that he has always been a very strong advocate of this. "The story told will carry that film. There have always been stories that were validated by that response and it is possible to do this on a world platform. Some of the best movie critics such as the New York Times and Time magazine gave the film reviews that couldnt be bettered.



The cast of Life, Above All at Cannes.

"The critics said that young actresses Lerato Mvelase, Khomotso Manyaka and Harriet Manamela 'stole the show at Cannes', even though the buzz at the South African parties was around Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard for their role in the Winnie movie. Life, Above All was not even mentioned and it upset my actors at the time."

Q: What of the "Hollywood Hijack stories" though? That's South African stories made by big American directors using their own stars ...

"This is not necessarily good for the South African acting fraternity," Oliver told me. ""It is often an awkward mixture, although Clint Eastwood did a good job. It is important to use South African actors although this is not an easy route financially. Internationally the debate is not that important of course. But local funders need to step up."

Q: So it is patriotic in terms of filmmaking to use South African actors? Even young relatively unknowns, such as in Life, Above All, and Gavin Hood's cast in Tsotsi?

"South African actors are starting to make a name for themselves, take Hijack Stories for example. It's the same calibre of movie as my new one."

Q: So why does he live in Berlin now, working for German TV, and not in South Africa?

"If only I could live off my South African films ... but I need to work, learn my trade and make a daily living. I am going back to Berlin to start pre-production work on a TV movie for next year. I haven't stopped working for ten years!"

Q: What lies ahead for the movie?

"I am hoping that South African audiences are sitting up and taking notice. I believe that the film will do well."

The Durban Film Festival was the first introduction of Oliver's new film to South African audiences and from everything I have heard this movie will blow local and international audiences away .... watch out for it on your screens ...

PICTURES BY NADIA NEOPHYTOU

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Joburg's cityscape in pictures




More and more Joburg's inner cityscapes are being converted into canvases where graffiti artists display their colourful art. This kind of edgy street art is encouraged by local municipalities and is being featured in advertising billboards more and more. These photographs were taken by Kevin Friedman on Louis Botha Avenue alone.

Steven Sach, the head of Arts and Culture for the City of Johannesburg told Kevin that they "did not know what to do with Louis Botha" and had given it over to the graffiti artists, three of whom advertised their website in the images. This is in keeping with many other large cities which are also favouring graffiti artists.



The universality of graffiti art is adhered to in both the figures and the text but Joburg's graffiti is a reflection of its community. Graffiti art owes a lot to hiphop culture and this comes through as well. Who knew our streets are so colourful? Next time you pass a wall which looks decrepit, devoid of paint and covered in graffiti, take another look.



Your local street artists have been working overtime, and maybe next week, who knows? These images may have been painted over ...



The artists use every bit of available space, like this clever use of a door.









And then there is "tagging", without which no respectable graffiti artist can look at himself in the mirror ...







Who knew an outside wall, or the wall of your house, could look so great?



Sometimes the images look a little scary ...