New Irish/South African feature film in production

Phil Harrison on set in Belfast

Manifesto Films (Northern Ireland) produces the film in association with Pistoleros Films (SA) and the newly formed feature film company, Jet Black Entertainment (SA). The writer and director is Phil Harrison, whose short film Even Gods won awards at last year's Belfast, Galway and Cork film festivals.

The Good Man is the story of a young Irishman, wrought with guilt after causing a stranger's death in a car accident. In an attempt to appease his guilt he begins to sponsor a teenager in a South African township - but the impact of his misguided generosity is far greater and more tragic, than he could ever have imagined.

Chance meeting

In 2009, Irish director Phil Harrison met South African filmmaker Roy Zetisky, while he was in Cape Town researching and writing The Good Man. Harrison saw Zetisky's Best Cinematographer Vuka winner, coupled with a short film that he had just completed with his mentorship filmmakers and Harrison knew he had found his South African director of photography. Harrison was also keen to have Zetisky produce and use the production for his mentorship program, thus giving some young South African filmmakers the opportunity to work on an international film.

Since then Zetisky has put together a talented team and Harrison has gathered a cast including Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, The Wire), Kelly Campbell (One Hundred Mornings), Jonathan Harden (Small Island, Five Minutes of Heaven), Lalor Roddy (Hunger), Thabang Sidloyi (The Beneficiary) and Thomas Gumede (Otelo Burning).

On set in Belfast, filming The Good Man

South African team

Working with Zetisky, as part of the South African production team are three of his partners in Jet Black Entertainment. Partner, Vuks Ngcingwana (The Prayer, The Bible) who is also known for his acting, as one of the Top 8 in the TV show Class Act, is the line producer. Associate producer, Susana Kennedy known for her action thriller, Night Drive and Jet Black's production Colin Cash are production mentors. Line producer, Ngcingwana is driving the production of the film, under Zetisky's supervision.

One of Zetisky's other successful mentees, township filmmaker and director, Sakhumzi Mati, is the trainee director and local cultural and language advisor, working closely with director Harrison. As part of the project mentorship, editor Paul Speirs, of the New Creation Collective, who is editing the South African part of the film, is also mentoring township editor Solly Zilani. Some of Seton Bailey's, F.I.L.M. program mentorship students, are also involved.

SA team: Colin Cash, Vuks Ngcingwana, Roy Zetisky, Susana Kennedy, Sakhumzi Mati and Phil Harrison

"A leg up the ladder"

Zetisky says, "It gives me pleasure to give all my mentored filmmakers a leg up the ladder on this production and I am thankful to Harrison for supporting this process. I am also excited to be working with such a production team and such filmmakers on this screenplay. It's also wonderful to be launching our new feature company, Jet Black Entertainment, with such a project."

Harrison commented this week, "It is exciting to be coming to Cape Town to film the second part of the film, having completed filming in Belfast in early January. To be rooted in the local community and engaged with local cast and crew is everything this project is about. It is a thrill to be partnering with Pistoleros and its local team to do something different."