'Catch A Fire' at the Nu-Metro Cinema, Riverside Mall, Nelspruit
6 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 councillors 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 premiere
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. Filmmakers 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.
The history of this country offers the gifted storyteller a wealth of
material for brilliant songs, riveting literature and gripping cinema. But in
order to produce films that portray the reality of our people without
compromising our dignity, all of us have to play our part from the public
broadcaster to the private cinema owner.
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 provide drinking 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
underestimated. 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.
Wouldn'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.
Issued by: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
6 February 2007
