“When I chose Sobahle from the thousands of school children I auditioned, I knew she was a rough diamond, although she did not yet realise it herself. For a Zulu girl from a KwaZulu-Natal township who was 10 years old when the film was shot, to win an international award against professional adult actors proves how talented our little local treasure really is” said Madoda Ncayiyana, director of the film.
Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) follows the story of two young children who journey to the city from their rural homestead after their mother's death. The film features a cast of mainly young children who had never acted professionally before, discovered through extensive casting by the director, from the townships, informal settlements of eThekwini municipality and the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
Written by Julie Frederikse and Madoda Ncayiyana, the film is produced by Dv8 Films and co-produced by Vuleka Productions.
Izulu Lami is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the SABC, Ster-Kinekor Distribution, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Rebate, INK and the French film fund, Fonds Images Afrique.
Izulu Lami will screen at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in July, and be distributed by Ster-Kinekor Distribution nationwide in South Africa starting in August 2009. The film will be available on DVD through Ster-Kinekor Home Entertainment shortly thereafter. It will be broadcast on SABC towards the end of the year.
