KHUMBA

 KHUMBA LATEST TRIGGERFISH

TriggerFish Animation does it again, as they putting together quite the phenomenal international cast for there latest film Khumba as Liam Neeson officially joins the animated locally made film. The star of Taken, has signed on to play a malevolent leopard in the South African animated film, Khumba. It is the second animated feature to come out of Triggerfish Animation Studios. The Cape Town studio racked up a successfully global release of Adventures in Zambezia last year.

Silverston, who is also the director, is proud to have someone of Neeson's calibre in the role of the villain: "He brought a real menacing gravitas to this key character with his powerful, distinctive voice. The fact that he took part in our movie is a testament to the quality of animation produced in South Africa and I am immensely proud of what our team has achieved."

Liam Neeson

The film is represented by LA-based sales agent CMG and will be distributed by Millennium Entertainment in the US later this year. The cast to date includes rising stars Jake T Austin (Rio, New Year's Eve), AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries, Soul Surfer) and Joey Richter (A Very Potter Musical), as well as Emmy-award winner Loretta Devine (Grey's Anatomy, Crash), Richard E Grant (The Iron Lady, Corpse Bride) and British comedy actress Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show, Doctor Who).

Triggerfish Animation Studios, the production company behind the globally successful animation feature Adventures in Zambezia, has secured backing for Khumba, its latest project, from award-winning production and finance company Spier Films, GFC reports.

Spier has funded quite a number successful films, however Khumba will be the company's first animation project.

"We are very proud to be involved with Khumba because of the amazing achievement that was Zambezia which is still entertaining audiences globally," said Michael Auret, managing director of Spier Films. "We believe that animation is an area where South Africa can compete in the international market and we want to do everything to support these kinds of projects. There is a great creative team behind Triggerfish and we trust them to produce something even better with this film."

Scheduled for release later this year, Khumba tells the story of a half-striped zebra who leaves his home in search of the magic waterhole where legend has it, the first zebras got their stripes. Teaming up with an overprotective, sassy wildebeest and a self-obsessed ostrich, the plucky young zebra meets an array of wacky characters in an unforgettable adventure through the Great Karoo desert to earn his stripes.

Following on from the success of their first widely released animated feature Adventures in Zambezia, Triggerfish chief executive officer Stuart Forrest is thrilled to have Spier on board, making Khumba a 100% locally funded film.

"Having a financial partner like Spier, along with our other South African investors the Industrial Development Corporation, Department of Trade and Industry and the National Film and Video Foundation, is such a great affirmation that we are producing a world-class product that does our country proud. Zambezia is the first African animation film to be nominated for two Annie Awards and has become Africa's most successful film export since The Gods Must Be Crazy, released over 30 years ago. We expect Khumba to break this longstanding record."

The original story was penned by Triggerfish writers Raffaella Delle Donne and Anthony Silverston in consultation with Jonathan Roberts (The Lion King) and has been picked up by Millennium Entertainment for North American distribution

LOBOLA (SA Film News)

LOBOLA

Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, a contemporary romantic comedy about love and tradition in an evolving South African society opens the 2013 Jozi Film Festival on Friday, 15 February 2013 at Villa Arcadia in Johannesburg and releases nationwide on 1 March 2013, ScreenAfrica Reports.

The film addresses cross-cultural relationships with humour and honesty.

Directed by Henk Pretorius (Bakgat!, Bakgat! 2) and co-written by Pretorius and Janine Eser, Fanie Fourie’s Lobola stars newcomer Zethu Dlomo as Fanie’s love interest and Eduan van Jaarsveld (Jozi, Goodbye Bafana, Tsotsi) in the title role.

“At its core, the movie is a real love story between two quirky characters who are deeply attracted to each other,” says co-writer and producer Eser. “But the South African context brings a fresh and unique backdrop to the obstacles they have to overcome. It’s really heartening to hear test audiences say, ‘This is such a great date movie!’”

The film also stars Chris Chameleon, Connie Chiume, Motlatsi Mafatshe, Jerry Mofokeng, Richard van der Westhuizen and Marga van Rooy, among others.

Fanie Fourie’s Lobola was inspired by the book of the same name, written by Nape à Motana. 

POP, LOCK AND ROLL (CALLING ALL DANCERS)

POP LOCK AND ROLL

Joziewood Films in collaboration with Amariam Pictures is developing a dance film set in Cape Town, inspired by movies like Step Up and You Got Served, ScreenAfrica reports.

(check out the awesome video below)

Pop, Lock ‘n Roll is a rags to riches story about an ambitious youth from the Cape Flats who gets a lucky break and rises as a professional dancer, but his life takes a drastic turn when he falls in love with the girlfriend of the gangster-come-producer that’s making his career.

Director Ziggy Hofmeyr and producer Pascal Schmitz have launched a crowd source funding campaign in order to finance a portion of the films budget while going on a nationwide search for South Africa’s best street style dance talent.

Hofmeyr explains: “South Africa’s dance talent is of international standard, we have solo dancers and dance crews who are winning world championships and documentaries like the DIFF winner for best SA documentary The African Cypher clearly show this. The local dance community is already showing us their support and there is no doubt in me that we’re going to make a dance film that will blow your mind.”

The film is its crowd source campaign on Indiegogo whereby persons who are interested in helping can contribute from as little as R10 towards the film. In return receive perks ranging from thank you credits to tickets to the premier, a DVD of the film or even a day on the film’s set where they can meet the stars and crew, all depending on the amount you invest into the film.

Two big events are also being planned, one in Johannesburg and one in Cape Town, which will show off some of the best dance talent with profits going towards the making of the film.

For interested dancers out there, you can also upload your dance routine and skills, onto YouTube and whereby it would be used as your audition tape.

Pop, Lock ‘n Roll is hunting for their lead male role, so if you’re in your early twenties and can dance in various street styles, mainly hip-hop styles, get your audition footage onto the YouTube channel and make sure you’re in line for the spot.

Production on Pop, Lock ‘n Roll is planned for early 2013 and Indigenous Film Distribution have already committed to a cinema distribution deal. Investors, as well as brands interested in product placement, are encouraged to get in touch with the team. Dance films in South Africa have proven to be extremely profitable and the team is certain that they will produce a fantastic film that everyone will be proud of.

Producer Pascal Schmitz comments: “With this film we really want to lift the profile of dancers and dance in this country. They haven’t been given the same acknowledgement as our DJs and musicians and so we want to create partnerships with various dance organizations and dance groups, especially those that give back to their community, by profiling them in our PR campaign and even donating a portion of the films profits to them, in order to make dance in South Africa a sustainable passion and something all professional dancers can live from for a change.”

For more information, visit:

www.indiegogo.com/poplocknroll

www.facebook.com/poplocknroll

www.twitter.com/poplocknroll

www.youtube.com/poplocknrollvideos

A SHOT AT THE BIG TIME (EPK)

A SHOT AT THE BIG TIME (EPK)

Brad Backhouse

You should know by now that A Shot at the Big Time is one South African short film that we have been following for a while now. Helping to promote it in every way we can.

Now we see that a new EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the film as debuted, which you can witness below:

On the EPK itself this is what Janet Van Eeden (Writer and Producer) had to say about it.

"Here's the final version of the fantastic electronic press kit put together by honours students at UKZN for A Shot at the Big Time.

Yet more proof that there is not a single aspect of this project that is devoid of ambition or talent!

 Great job, guys!" 

The films synopsis is as follows:

A Shot at the Big Time is a film inspired by the true story of Janet van Eeden's brother, Jimmy, who took his own life rather than fight in the Apartheid Border War, a war he didn't believe in.

She launched a crowd-sourcing campaign on Indiegogo.com to raise production funds for this film after the conventional fund raising platforms didn't work. This film is timeless, about the young men who gave up their lives to fight in a war many of them had no desire to fight. Every white boy in South Africa in the seventies, eighties and early nineties, was conscripted into military service. After three months of brutal basics they were spat out onto the border to kill their so-called enemy.

A Shot at the Big Time traces the life of Jimmy and one of his friends who just happened to black in Apartheid South Africa. They had no interest in waging war against each other - they just wanted to be rock stars. Then Jimmy received his call up papers. Forced into the brutal regime of the military, with a sargeant who had it in for him, he went AWOL. A fatal accident sealed his fate and blew up any chances Jimmy might have had to have a normal life. He had a mental breakdown after this and was removed from service and placed in a mental home to recover. Just as he was finding his feet again, the army declared him "fit for service", and drafted him straight into armed combat on the Angolan border with the instruction to seek and destroy "the enemy". His broken heart couldn't do this. So instead of fighting, he released the bullets from his rifle, walked straight into the line of enemy fire, strumming his gun as if it was his beloved guitar.

This film has taken Janet nine years to write, and she's ready to put it on the big screen. A number of songs have been written by Jonathan Handley of the Radio Rats who was so moved by reading the script that he recorded songs you can see on this website. Strum My Gun was inspired by the film's ending.

Make sure you check out http://www.shotthemovie.comfor more on this film!! And spread the word!!

ADVENTURES OF ZAMBEZIA (Distributing to in International territories)

ADVENTURES OF ZAMBEZIA

The animated feature Adventures in Zambezia, produced by Triggerfish Animation Studios in South Africa, has been picked up by Sony Pictures for distribution in English-speaking territories. This is the first time that a South African animated feature has secured such a prestigious U.S. distributor, Callsheet reports.

The deal was finalized with Sony a while ago, as the film will now ne shown in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia amongst others. The film’s title has been changed to Adventures in Zambezia for all English speaking territories.

Stuart Forrest, Producer at Cape Town-based Triggerfish, says, “It is fantastic to be picked up by a major studio that has always been discerning about their animation titles. It is a great testament to the world-class quality of work that our talented crew has produced. We're excited about working with Sony to ensure the best release in their territories.”

Zambezia is the first theatrical release from Triggerfish. Their second film, Khumba, is nearing completion and the studio has a third film in development, showing that when it comes to ambition the guys over at Triggerfish have an abundance of it.

The film has been sold in over 40 territories world-wide by Edward Noeltner of Cinema Management Group, and features an all-star cast including Abigail Breslin , Jeff Goldblum , Leonard Nemoy, Richard E. Grant, and Samuel L. Jackson

Globally, already released Israel where it has done consistently well at the box office running against other major studio releases. The film opened in Russia on over 800 screens in 150 cities across the country, reportedly the widest release ever for a locally produced film. Adventures in Zambezia’s released in Germany on 30 August on over 300 screens.

“The plethora of animation movies out there means that audiences have become more discerning and have an appetite for something different,” says Forrest. “We’ve received a great response from test screenings which shows that Zambezia clearly entertains families from around the world, providing a universal story told from a unique perspective.”

The story centres round a young falcon, Kai, as he journeys to the bird city of Zambezia, leaving his home and father to make a life for himself. He soon discovers, however, that living in a community can be more difficult than surviving in the wild, and it is only when the city comes under threat that he comes to understand that the only life worth living is a life lived through others.

Check out the links for more on Adventures on Zambezia

http://triggerfishanimation.blogspot.com

http://www.triggerfish.co.za/index.htm