News

Exclusive: Nfdc’s Co-Production Market project On the Way to Paradise has received funding from three separate government bodies in South Africa: the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Film and Video Foundation and KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission.

Director Sara Blecher’s Real Eyes Films has also secured a pre-sale deal with South African TV network M-Net.

On The Way To Paradise has now raised half of its $1.5m funding, and producer Imraan Jeeva is at Film Bazaar looking for the final financing.

The project is on track to start shooting in early 2016 in Johannesburg’s vibrant immigrant-filled suburb Mayfair.

Blecher’s first English-language film is loosely inspired by The Godfather, as the story revolves around a young Muslim man of uncompromised integrity who is drawn unwillingly into his father’s money laundering scheme.

Blecher’s Ayanda, a social drama about a young woman who inherits a garage from her Nigerian father, opened this year...

Array, the re-launching of the distribution collective previously known as Affrm, opens two films today: South African drama "Ayanda," directed by Sara Blecher ("Otelo Burning") and Takeshi Fukunaga’s directorial debut, "Out of My Hand." Both films kicking off their theatrical runs starting today, November 13, in Los Angeles and New York City, followed by a national tour to include Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Seattle, Houston and Boston. “'Ayanda' and 'Out of My Hand' are films that represent the breadth and width of diverse filmmaking. A drama dissecting love in all forms directed by a South African woman, and a story of...

South African drama "Ayanda and the Mechanic," directed by Sara Blecher ("Otelo Burning"), has been announced as the opening night film of the 36th Durban International Film Festival (Diff), which takes place from July 16 to 26 this year. But first, it'll make its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 13, just 5 days from today. Set in the vibrant, Afropolitan community of Johannesburg’s Yeoville, "Ayanda and the Mechanic" is a coming-of-age story of a 21-year-old "Afro-hipster," who embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she has to fight to save her late father’s legacy – a motor repair shop - when it is...

South African drama "Ayanda and the Mechanic," directed by Sara Blecher ("Otelo Burning"), has been announced as the opening night film of the 36th Durban International Film Festival (Diff), which takes place from July 16 to 26 this year. Set in the vibrant, Afropolitan community of Johannesburg’s Yeoville, "Ayanda and the Mechanic" is a coming-of-age story of a 21-year-old "Afro-hipster," who embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she has to fight to save her late father’s legacy – a motor repair shop - when it is threatened with closure. She’s thrown into a world of greasy overalls, gender stereotypes and abandoned vintage cars once loved,...

An S&A highlight of 2012, award-winning filmmaker Sara Blecher's "City of God meets Blue Crush" South African coming-of-age drama Otelo Burning - a gripping story of township kids as they discover surfing, set in late 1980s, against the backdrop of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison - makes its Netflix streaming premiere today, March 25, 2014. It's also already available on several other platforms including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, Vudu and YouTube. The film is available through the partnership between Sundance Institute and Ifp, who release several...

An S&A highlight of 2012, award-winning filmmaker Sara Blecher's "City of God meets Blue Crush" South African coming-of-age drama Otelo Burning - a gripping story of township kids as they discover surfing, set in late 1980s, against the backdrop of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison - makes its digital premiere on January 14, 2014 on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, Vudu and YouTube. The film is available for pre-order through Sundance Institute’s Now Playing page. After capturing 17 International Awards, the film enjoyed a limited theatrical run, starting at New...

Glad to announce that one of our 2012 highlights will be getting a UK release this spring.South African drama Otelo Burning, directed by award-winning filmmaker Sara Blecher, will be released in the UK this spring, courtesy of Aya Distribution, in association with the New Black Film Network. The emotional coming-of-age drama, set against the backdrop of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, all seen through the eyes of a child, will have a six-night theatrical release from the 16th until the 21st of April, screening in venues right across London. Accompanying some of these screenings (some of which will take place in universities) will be...

If you live in NYC, I cannot encourage you enough to go check out this film, before it leaves! Award-winning filmmaker Sara Blecher's "City of God meets Blue Crush" South African coming-of-age drama Otelo Burning is a gripping story of township kids as they discover surfing, set in late 1980s, against the backdrop of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. It opened quite strong about 2 weeks ago at New York’s new cinemas at Mist Harlem - and affair that I was present for and moderated the Q&A that followed, with the filmmaker, and one of the stars of the film, Sihle Xaba! And...

Ambitions clash against a violent backdrop in Sara Blecher's Otelo Burning. But while its late '80s South Africa setting might suggest obvious ways to invoke Shakespeare's Othello, the insidious jealousy here isn't primarily about lust or military glory -- it's over surfing. Though sorting through the way Blecher's tale does and doesn't line up with Shakespeare's proves distracting in the end, the allusions may draw deserved arthouse attention to a finely acted film that can stand on its own. Charismatic if sometimes inarticulate, Otelo (Jafta Mamabolo) is one of a trio of black teens who discover surfing, quickly seeing it as

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It opens this week in a limited theatrical run at the new Mist Harlem Cinemas in NYC, and gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from S&A, meaning you really Should see it if you're in New York, while it's available. Sublime in its rich ocean scenery, where you will indulge in for most of the film, the majestically photographed Otelo Burning is actually set in the South African province of Lamontville in the late 1980’s, around the time when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. But the refreshingly unconventional and gripping film isn’t a political narrative; that serves as more of a backdrop. Written by Sara Blecher, James Whyle and The Cast Workshop, and...

It's finally here! The USA theatrical run begins Tonight for award-winning filmmaker Sara Blecher's "City of God meets Blue Crush" South African coming-of-age drama Otelo Burning - a gripping story of township kids as they discover surfing, set in late 1980s, against the backdrop of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. It stars some familiar South African actors whose names have been mentioned once or twice on this site, attached to previous films, like Kenneth Nkosi, who also starred in Paradise Stop and White Wedding (South Africa's entry in the 2009 Oscars in the foreign film category). Otelo Burning...

Blecher Rides Waves, Inelegantly

Cutting her teeth with the surfing 2010 short doc Surfing Soweto, director Sara Blecher has forged ahead, tackling similar territory with her fictional wave bound feature debut, Otelo Burning. Often feeling a bit puerile, films that fixate on surfing tend to use the sport as an over arching symbol of freedom and escape, and Blecher’s film is no different. A quartet of friends face a myriad of adolescent problems, only to find that surfing could be their ticket away from their issues to fame and fortune atop a gloriously blue break. It does however successfully employ the played out athletics to explore racial tensions and political unrest that plagued South Africa before the end of apartheid during the 90s with surprisingly grim inflection of tonal balance.

Blecher sets the familiar pieces in play with our dark skinned leading teens, Otelo (Jafta Mamabolo) and his little brother...

I've yet to attend the Seattle International Film Festival (Siff), but I will eventually. This is certainly good news for residents of Seattle, festival attendees, and the festival itself, where films we've covered like Tey and Otelo Burning, made thair North American premieres. All you need to know if the release below: Siff Receives Major Grant From The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 3-Year Commitment to Showcase African Films at Seattle International Film Festival Seattle, Wa, November 20, 2012 - Siff is excited to announce that it is the 2012 recipient of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences multiyear grant for its...

Vanessa saw Sara Blecher's Otelo Burning at Abff in July, and reviewed it positively Here. The rest of you, those who live in NYC anyway, will get your opportunity to see it when it opens for a week of "Buzz Screenings," November 9th – 15th at reRun Theater, Brooklyn. Details in the press release below... trailer and poster underneath: Opens for a week of Buzz Screenings - November 9th – 15th reRun Theater, Brooklyn City of God meets Blue Crush in Otelo Burning, a beautiful, coming-of-age drama by award-winning filmmaker Sara Blecher. The new South African feature film presents a gripping story of township...

Following on from the “25 New Faces” screening series that we have been organizing around the country, I’m very happy today to announce that Filmmaker and Ifp will be programming theatrical runs at the reRun Theatre in Brooklyn, starting on November 2. The first three films we will be showing at reRun are Jacob Krupnick’s crowdpleasing NYC dance movie Girl Walk // All Day (above), Sara Blecher’s South African drama Otelo Burning, and Susan Youssef’s Gaza-set love story Habibi.

We’re incredibly excited to be entering into this partnership with reRun and, through it, to continue what the magazine has been doing for 20 years, namely championing great — and often overlooked — cinema. In the very near future, we will launch an online form on the Ifp site which will facilitate filmmakers submitting their films for consideration for a theatrical slot at reRun, as it is our intention to cast a...

Unknown independent filmmakers have a new opportunity to see their work shown in New York courtesy of the Independent Filmmaker Project’s Filmmaker Magazine editorial staff and Brooklyn’s reRun Theater. Ifp, Filmmaker and Dumbo’s reRun have banded together to program weeklong runs of films from self-distributing filmmakers; the first three titles to take advantage of the new initiative are Jacob Krupnick’s “Girl Walk // All Day” (Nov. 2), Sara Blecher’s “Otelo Burning” (Nov. 9) and Susan Youssef’s “Habibi” (Nov. 16). Ifp and reRun are throwing a kickoff event October 30 at 6pm at the reRun that is open to the public. Read More: Ifp Set to Run Ambitious New NYC Media Center in Dumbo to Create Jobs and Advance New Media Storytelling “In the reRun Theater, Ifp has found a partner equally dedicated to our core belief in nurturing diverse voices on the independent scene,” said Ifp executive...

Vanessa saw Sara Blecher's Otelo Burning at Abff in July, and reviewed it positively Here. The rest of you, those who live in NYC anyway, will get your opportunity to see it when it makes its Us theatrical debut on October 3rd, at the new Mist Harlem Cinemas. Details in the press release below... trailer and poster underneath: New York, NY (August 27, 2012) City of God meets Blue Crush in Otelo Burning, a beautiful, coming-of-age drama by award-winning filmmaker Sara Blecher. The new South African feature film presents a gripping story of township kids as they discover surfing - a newfound freedom through water. The film will make its U.S. theatrical premiere at New...

Otelo Burning, the Sara Blecher-directed drama set in South Africa in the late 80's, was one of the highlights screening at American Black Film Festival over the weekend (see my review Here). The film will have it's U.S. theatrical release this September 2012 at My Image Sudios (Mist) in Harlem NY. Mist houses films from African and Latino Diasporas, where Otelo Burning will be one the first films to premiere in. Otelo film premiered in the U.S. at The Seattle Film Festival’s New Directors Showcase and was nominated at the San Francisco International Film Fest for the Golden Needle award. Otelo will also screen at the Chicago International Film Festival, which...

Sublime in its rich ocean scenery, where you will indulge in for most of the film, the majestically photographed Otelo Burning is actually set in the South African province of Lamontville in the late 1980’s, around the time when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. But the refreshingly unconventional and gripping film isn’t a political narrative; that serves as more of a backdrop. Written by Sara Blecher, James Whyle and The Cast Workshop, and directed by Blecher (Surfing Soweto), Otelo Burning is a coming of age story - based on real life events - about three boys: Otelo Buthelezi (Jafta Mamabolo), his best friend named New Year (Kenneth Nkosi- Paradise Stop,...

I can't remember a time I went to the Seattle International Film Festival (Siff) press launch and looked over the list of films and saw so many I was interested in seeing. The claim to fame for over the years is to call it the largest and most-highly attended festival in the United States. This is a fact I've often taken issue with as I don't equate quantity with quality. Granted, there has been a large number of quality features to play the fest over the years, including Golden Space Needle (Best Film) winners such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), My Life as a Dog (1987), Trainspotting (1996), Run Lola Run (1999), Whale Rider (2003) and even recent Best Director winner, Michel Hazanavicius's Oss 117: Nest of Spies in 2006. That said, looking over this year's crop of films I see a lot of films I will be doing my absolute best to see.

Lightning Entertainment has acquired international rights to five feature films and will present the slate of new titles, including the star-studded comedy Struck By Lightning written by and starring Glee.s Chris Colfer, to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Market, it was announced today by Robert Beaumont, President of Lightning Entertainment.

Struck By Lightning will make its market premiere at the Marché du Film following its Tribeca Film Festival world debut where it received an overwhelmingly positive response. Servitude will also make its market premiere with promotional footage being shown for family film Heaven.S Door and South African thriller One Last Look. Black South-easter is currently in production.

.We are thrilled to present this eclectic slate of new titles featuring films from across the globe to our buyers at Cannes and we are incredibly excited that both Struck By Lightning and Servitude will be making their market premieres next month,...

The double bill I’m most looking forward to features Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Shannon, who I first saw in the brilliant Shotgun Stories (2007). Take Shelter is his second collaboration with writer/director Jeff Nichols and finds Shannon in dark territory again as a man whose psychological problems put him at odds with his small-town community.

Shannon also plays the husband of Linda Cardellini’s stressed-out combat veteran in Return, a film about the pressures of war on those left at home. The Missing Person showed that Shannon can temper his intensity with a wonderfully dry sense of humour and he definitely has the talent to be a leading man and not just an accomplished supporting player.

Michael Fassbender’s A Dangerous Method and Shame have already been reviewed during the recent Toronto International Film Festival, though I am keen to see to both them. Do we need to talk about Kevin,...