Indigenous Film Distribution celebrates three Tempo nominations

"The Tempo awards are an annual highlight on the Afrikaans entertainment calendar," says Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution. "They represent the cream of the Afrikaans cultural scene, and we are excited to see that three of the films we distributed are among the top five that have been nominated. That means we are accurately gauging what audiences want to see."

Three films earning attention

The first of the three films nominated is popular romantic comedy 'Fanie Fourie's Lobola', which recently won the audience awards at the Seattle International Film Festival, the Sedona International Film Festival in Arizona, and the Jozi Film Festival. The movie is about a couple, an Afrikaans man and a Zulu woman, who fall in love and have to navigate their way through the complicated process of lobola - payment by the bridegroom's family, in cash or cattle, to the bride's family. It was directed by Henk Pretorius with Zethu Dlomo and Eduan van Jaarsveld playing the couple.

Next on the list is heart-warming feel-good film 'Klein Karoo', directed by Regardt van den Bergh. It tells the story of Cybil, a dedicated young teacher who will do anything in her power to ensure that her dream of building a recreational centre at the local farm school comes true. She is engaged to the town's top winemaker, but she soon realises that he is not what he seems. When she meets Frans, a television journalist, her world is turned upside down. The film stas Donnalee Roberts, Hykie Berg and Tim Theron.

The third film is Afrikaans musical 'Pretville', directed by Linda Korsten and starring Marlee van der Merwe, Terence Bridgett, Marno Van der Merwe and Steve Hofmeyr. It celebrates the thrill of first love by paying tribute to the music of the 50s and the foot-tapping classics that evoke innocence and discovery.

"Overall, it's been a good year for South Africa films, and for Afrikaans content in particular," says Kuun. "It's become increasingly clear that local audiences across the board are keen to be entertained. Romantic comedies are performing really well. Over and above that, it's reassuring to witness the evolution of production quality, as is apparent in all the films that have been nominated."

For more information on Indigenous Film Distribution, go to www.indigenousfilm.co.za.