Exclusive screening of Free State

Special guests were invited to an exclusive screening of the premiere of Free State at Movies@Monte in Montecasino on 18 April.

Free State is a movie of a random act of kindness which sparks a forbidden love affair between a Caucasian girl and an Indian man during the apartheid system in the country.

It is directed by Sallas de Jager and produced by Piet de Jager.

The cast comprises Nicola Breytenbach, Andrew Govender, Leleti Khumalo, Deon Lotz, Mangesh Desai, Keith Joshua Gengadoo, Rafiq Jajbhay, Rolanda Marais, Nalini Subrayen, Hemali Juta-Pillay, Paul Eilers, Bobby van Jaarsveld, Suraya R Santos and Johan Baird.

Breytenbach plays Jeanette who is a beautiful open-minded law student. She decided to study while her boyfriend completes his national military service. They are set to be engaged when he returns.

During her summer holiday with her father in the Free State, a random act of kindness by an attractive Indian man sparks an unexpected love affair. Despite being warned not to act on her feelings, she decides to pursue the relationship.

Secret meetings follow since it was against the law at the time to have an interracial relationship. When their secret comes out, all hell breaks loose.

The story explores the effect on family members and society when something as pure and innocent as two people falling in love challenges the foundation of every rule governing that particular society. Through the ages, the nation, communities and families governed their territory or living environment within a set of basic rules of conduct.

The nature of these rules and lengths at which they are obeyed and enforced defines them. It creates an illusion of safety – and this film explores the reaction of two communities when their way of life is rocked by a forbidden love affair.

The movie explores the predicament of a parent and child relationship within these circumstances. The need of a parent for his or her child to find true happiness versus the need for the child to uphold the way of life taught to him or her from childhood in order to fit into a community as an adult is questioned.

The dramatic purpose of this movie’s storyline is for the audience to weigh up cultural and religious structures against the fact that true love knows no boundaries or rules.

“The possibility of true happiness, of which true love is the foundation, will always outweigh the sanctions of society, governments and religion, therefore making one person’s love towards another the most powerful human experience,” De Jager said.

“Even the tragic nature of forbidden love is not enough to stop good people from risking everything just for a taste of something that is bigger than them.”

The family drama will open at cinemas nationwide on 27 April.