Schuster's latest at Ster Kinekor first

Schuster fans, movie lovers and those just looking for a great laugh can see Schuster's latest comedy blockbuster Schuks Tshabalala's Survival Guide to South Africa first with Ster-Kinekor Theatres at its exclusive premieres at several sites around the country, where cinema-goers can meet Leon Schuster, Alfred Nthombela and other key cast members, from 16 to 27 May. The movie releases at cinemas nationwide on 28 May.

Nothing sacred

“Nothing and no one is sacred in this movie, keeping everyone on their toes waiting for those unexpected moments to explode. Ster-Kinekor is excited about sharing these moments first and exclusively with Schuster fans across South Africa,” said Michael Bender, Ster-Kinekor group marketing executive.

Ster-Kinekor is giving Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Soweto, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban the exclusive opportunity to see Schuster in action, before the rest of country, from 16 May.

Schuks Tshabalala's Survival Guide to South Africa is a combination of dramatic narrative and traditional candid camera gags unleashed on a new group of unsuspecting Schuster victims. Schuster is incarnated in the lead as Schuks Tshabalala. Shot largely on location in Cape Town and surrounds, he plays himself and an array of alternate characters alongside his trusty sidekick “Shorty” (Alfred Ntombela). They are part of the 2010 tourism campaign, tasked with assisting tourists who are in the process of planning their visits to South Africa. The story is littered with all sorts of mishaps and belly laughs, in line with what fans have come to expect of Schuster over the last few decades.

A motley crew

The tourists and students who are attending class with Schuks are a motley crew of all kinds of characters from all over the world. For the most part, they are the typical representations of each country and have some hysterical one-liners and questions they pose to Schuks throughout the
film. Some are naughty, but mostly all are nice and totally impressed with the wonderful Schuks and Shorty, as they travel through the city to learn more about South Africa.

The South African film director, Gray Hofmeyr, reflects on the challenges posed by the production: “As a director, I had never been involved in a gag movie before, my experience being entirely with scripted fiction. Comparatively speaking, candid camera is an imperfect medium because you never know what you are going to get. I expect that our operation was probably bigger than any other candid camera movie done in South Africa. However, the most pressure rests on the shoulders of the person in the firing line, in this instance, Leon Schuster. The emotional and mental demands are massive: four hours spent in the make-up caravan, and then four more hours spent to con the population of a suburb - that takes determination! This may be an imperfect medium and a daunting one, but ultimately it's a lot of fun.”

The venues

Go to www.sterkinekor.com or call +27 (0)82 16789 to book your tickets for Ster-Kinekor's exclusive premieres. The screenings will be hosted at the following Ster-Kinekor Theatres on the following dates:

16 May: The Zone, Rosebank, Johannesburg
18 May: East Rand Mall, Johannesburg
20 May: Brooklyn Mall, Pretoria
23 May: Maponya Mall, Soweto
24 May: Mimosa Mall, Bloemfontein
25 May: Tygervalley, Cape Town
26 May: The Bridge, Port Elizabeth
27 May: Musgrave, Durban