Stephané Bothma
Four Pretoria legal eagles, who regularly put their black robes in the cupboard to bring magic to the silver screen, have once again outdone themselves.
This time by producing an international film Free State, which has made audiences at a host of international film festivals sit up and take note.
Free State addresses the topic of love across the colour line in South Africa during the 1970s, when a young white student falls in love with an Indian man with tragic consequences.
The film is the fifth from the stable of producers Piet de Jager, Stef Guldenpfenning, Jaap Cilliers and Rian Strydom of the famed Bosbok 6 Films.
All four men are well-known advocates from the Pretoria Bar who had in the past made highly acclaimed movies such as Roepman – screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.
Sallas de Jager directed Free State, which had its international premiere at the Kolhapur International Film Festival in December 2015.
It was then screened at the Chennai International Film Festival, the Bangalore International Film Festival, the Sangli International Film Festival and at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.
This month, Free State will be screened at the 5th Luxor African Film Festival before going to the Garden State Film Festival in the United States, to Vancouver in Canada and then to the Cameroon International Film Festival.
It will premiere in South African theatres on 27 April.
The film, that was a collaboration between Blesbok 6 Films, Utkarsh Entertainment and the Indian production company Parnam Entertainment.
It stars former super model Nicola Breytenbach and former Mr South Africa Andrew Govender.
Other actors in the family drama are Leleti Khumalo (Sarafina, Yesterday), Deon Lotz (Roepman, Skoonheid) and Rolanda Marais (Wolwedans in the Skemer, Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling).
As an added bonus, Bollywood and Marathi star Mangesh Desai, also makes his first appearance in an international film.
Free State tells the story of Jeanette, played by Breytenbach, a soon to be engaged Afrikaans law student.
During her summer vacation in the Free State with her father, she meets Ravi. Despite warnings, Jeanette decides to have a clandestine relationship with Ravi but when the love affair becomes public, tragic events follow.
Sallas de Jager said what made the film special, was the visual contrast of the two worlds in which the story was set.
“Not only will this film tell the story of families of different
races, but at its core also lies the world of two families devoted to different religions – Christianity and Hinduism,” he said.
“We enjoyed it very much to bring this film to the various festival audiences and we are overwhelmed by the feedback received. Free State is not a big movie but had a tremendous effect on audiences at the film festivals, which is always a great compliment for any film maker.”
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