'Yesterday' re-released in time for Oscar nominations
'Yesterday', South Africa's official entry for Oscar Consideration in the Best Foreign Language Picture category will be re-released at selected cinemas in South Africa on 21 January 2005. The annual Academy Award nominations will be announced on the afternoon of 25 January 2005.
The film will be re-released exclusively at the following cinemas: MonteCasino, Nu Metro Benoni in Johannesburg; Menlyn in Pretoria; Nu Metro V&A, Canal Walk and Cinema Starz Grandwest in Cape Town; Nu Metro Pavilion in Durban and Cinema Starz Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth.
Yesterday is the first-ever commercial isiZulu feature film and was screened at more than 20 cinemas across South Africa when it was released on 3 September 2004. The film was also screened free-of-charge to the public on 1 December 2004, World AIDS Day in a joint effort by producer Anant Singh's Videovision Entertainment, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, The National Film And Video Foundation, M-Net, Johnnic Communications and Nu Metro.
"The re-release of Yesterday is designed to raise awareness of Yesterday being South Africa's Official Entry for Oscar Consideration in the Best Foreign Language Picture category. Yesterday is a film about hope and it subtly deals with the grave issue of the HIV / AIDS pandemic that has affected so many South Africans. We are hopeful that this unique South African story will receive an Oscar nomination," commented producer, Anant Singh.
Last month, Yesterday received an unprecedented nomination for the 20th Independent Spirit Awards in the category of Best Foreign Film, being the first South African film to be nominated, and the first time that a film was nominated without having a confirmed release date in the United States. The Independent Spirit Awards are widely considered to be the Oscars of independent cinema and are held annually under the auspices of the Independent Film Project (IFP), the United States based organisation dedicated to providing resources, information and avenues of communication for its membership of independent filmmakers. The Independent Spirit Award Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Santa Monica, California on February 26, a day before the Academy Awards Ceremony.
Yesterday is a Videovision Entertainment production in association with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, M-Net, The National Film And Video Foundation, Distant Horizon and was shot on location in KwaZulu Natal. Music was composed by Madala Kunene and it is executive produced by Sudhir Pragjee and Sanjeev Singh, produced by Anant Singh and Helena Spring and written and directed by Darrell James Roodt.
