The film was directed by Neill Blomkamp and stars Sharlto Copley as the unlikely and reluctant hero, Wikus van der Merwe. District 9 was shot on location in Chiawelo, Soweto last year. Michael S. Murphey and Steven St. Arnaud of Kalahari Pictures were the supervising producers.
Cape Town-based Sharlto Copley commented: “I am extremely grateful for the way the South African public is responding to the film. It was very moving for me to see SA audiences laughing, crying and at times even clapping at the nuances in the film. Thank you all for your support SA!.”
District 9 also features Jason Cope, Kenneth Nkosi, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, David James, Louis Minnaar, Sylvaine Strike and many other recognisable South African actors.
The film was first showcased at Comic-Con in July 2009 in the US and has been conquering the box office and garnering rave reviews everywhere it's been released to date. It continues its extraordinary run at the US box office, where it is on track to join the USD100 million “blockbuster” list for 2009.
