Altovise Lawrence was the winner of the first season of Top Actor South Africa. American co-stars include Terri J. Vaughn, Ja’el Robeson and Desi Banks amongst others.
Love by Chance is a film about two aspiring actors from South Africa who are independently chasing their dreams in the US, trying to break into an extremely difficult and over saturated Hollywood industry. They meet by chance in Atlanta, Georgia, the ‘Hollywood of the South’, aka ‘Hotlanta’, but between the everyday struggle of auditioning, dealing with daily rejection, self-doubt, financial hardship, crazy friends and a mad dating scene, there is little time for love.
The strong male cast includes Lawrence’s co-competitor Nicholas Nkuna, and US co-stars, Clifton Powell, of Ray, Rush Hour and Grand Theft Auto; and E. Roger Mitchell who co-starred alongside Denzel Washington in Flight and Equalizer.
Kani, who has just been cast in Marvel’s upcoming superhero film The Black Panther, has an honours degree in theatrical performance from the University of the Witwatersrand. He made his stage debut in The Tempest, a collaboration between the Baxter Theatre Centre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he played Ariel alongside his father, John Kani (Caliban) and Sir Antony Sher.
Director Davis describes Love by Chance as a pioneering film because it brings together US and South African talent and bridges cultural and continental divides against the backdrop of a comedy.
“As an African-American, I am fuelled by my vision of bridging cultural gaps between Africa and the United States through the power of film and television,” says director Samad Davis. “The Top Actor Africa brand was built on this premise and the film Love by Chance embodies that mantra. Being able to work with the right South African and international talent, both in front of and behind the camera, is priceless.”
The film is produced by Atlanta-based, independent and experienced producer Ty Johnston-Chavis, co-producer Errol Sadler, associate producer Cristina Davis, line producer James Few, and producer Davis, along with the South African producers behind the hit romcom Mrs Right Guy, Dumi Gumbi and Catharina Weinek. “Our ultimate aim is to make films that South Africans love and can be proud of, so we hope South Africans will show their support at the box office in the coming weeks.” says Gumbi.
Love by Chance opens in South Africa on Friday, 5 May 2017, and is distributed by Indigenous Film Distribution.
