REMARKS BY PREMIER TSP MAKWETLA AT THE PREMIÈRE OF THE FILM “CATCH A FIRE” AT THE NU-METRO CINEMA, RIVERSIDE MALL, NELSPRUIT
Tuesday 06 February 2007
Programme Director,
Mpumalanga Culture, Sport and Recreation MEC Nomsa Mtsweni and other MECs present here tonight,
Members of the Mpumalanga Legislature,
Mayor Justice Ntsibande and councilors present here tonight,
Patrick Chamusso the true storyteller,
Phillip Noyce, the Australian Films Director of among others, Patriot Games, The Quiet American and Rabbit-Proof Fence,
Bonnie Henna Local Actor Stars in the movie Manaka Ranaka, and Kenneth Nkosi,
Robyn Slovo and her sister Shawn who wrote the screenplay,
Yvonne Chaka Chaka Local Artist,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is indeed an honour for me to address you on the occasion of the première screening of "Catch a Fire”. Having sat through 102 minutes of heart-pounding suspense , one cannot help but agree that the tale of real-life hero Patrick Chamusso is a great human story.
Although being the story of Chamusso, it mirrors the life of countless young South African men and women who were forced to flee the country of their birth in pursuit of freedom. In its own mad way the evil system of apartheid falsely accused hundreds of people of conspiratorial activities aimed at overthrowing the government, and in the process ironically mobilised innocent, and at times even ignorant, ordinary folks, into the most determined and resolute effort to bring about its demise . Fearing death at the hands of the security police, they opted to venture into unknown territory, but convinced of one thing and one thing only : That South Africa must be free for the madness to stop .
Even as the apartheid nightmare rescinds into a distant past , South Africans continue to tell the story of how that freedom was fought for and ultimately won. F ilmmakers are writing and rewriting our own stories, from our own perspective. South Africa 's relatively young film industry is making its own contribution in affirming the African experience and sharing our story with the rest of the world. This coming of Age of our story-tellers in the country , is a giant leap away from an era where millions were spent, (no misspent), on producing films with little or no aesthetic and educational value to the viewer.
Programme Director, often after watching a movie , people only talk about the STARRING. Most of those who contribute, directly or indirectly, in the entire process of making the movie are at times not even acknowledged. Do we stop to think about those who provid e d rinking water and a constant supply of electricity? But more seriously, let us all agree that the movie begins with the creative persons who write the script. We then have the set-builders, those responsible for lighting, those who compose and play the music, the wardrobe people, the make-up artists, the continuity people, etc. Besides the actors, the directors, the scriptwriters and producers who receive most of the acclaim, there are all these other role-players who contribute towards the development of the product.
In order to construct sets the carpenters and artisans need materials such as wood. Seamstresses need cloth. And every movie needs extras. The knock-on impact of film on a host of fields of endeavour is enormous and should not be under-estimated. So when we say filmmaking is labour intensive, we mean just that. Each of the people I have mentioned needs to be housed in our hotels, transported over vast distances, thus bringing in revenue for a whole host of service industries related to this work .
Ladies and gentlemen, South Africa is a country bursting with talent. Our government is committed to advancing the arts by mobilising available public funds to assist artists, to support the arts community and to stimulate cultural activity in all parts of the country and province. But the private sector must also lend a helping hand. The need to explore alternatives and to encourage private investment in this industry must become a reality. How many other communities thirsting for self-expression will ever see themselves on the silver screen? It should be possible for the private sector to make that realisable by opening up cinemas in the townships, in the rural areas and in small towns.
W ouldn't it be wonderful if we can make it a binding requirement that every foreign film company that is making a movie in this country, take on a designated number of aspirant film-makers as trainees? For the film industry to grow in this country we need skills development and transfer, not only in the technical field of shooting and production, but also in the creative side. We need to produce scores of creative people, producers, directors, technicians, designers, script-writers, musicians and actors.
South African film is beginning to make its mark both at home and abroad. The film we are celebrating tonight is a source of pride for our entire nation. We remain confident that the recent successes of our films are opening up further opportunities for our film-industry. The Mpumalanga Administration pledges its continuing support to this industry.
What fun it was watching actors such as Bonnie Henna and Mncedisi Shabangu playing Precious Chamusso and Zuko September respectively. Watching the closing credits I was happy to see Malcolm Purkey, Terry Pheto, Marius Weyers, Michele Burgers and Sthembiso Khumalo – to name but a few - scrolling by. It was almost like watching a local movie, but with a much bigger budget. The movie clearly enhanced the income - and work experience - of teams of local production people, who can proudly add this big Hollywood production to their CVs.
To Robyn and Shawn Slovo, congratulations and thank you once again for producing a piece of art which will afford many people a rare opportunity to pip and catch a glimpse of the desperate depths to which our country once languished.
I thank you.