From Hollywood to township - SA's hottest stars return home
Direct from Amsterdam's Amnesty Film Festival, which opened with Tsotsi, director Gavin Hood and lead Presley Chweneyagae arrived at Johannesburg International Airport on an SAA flight Sunday, 12 March 2006. The homegrown film walked away with South Africa's first Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2006 Academy Awards on 5 March.
Terry Pheto (who plays a young single mother in the film), musician Zola (also the smooth-talking leader of a car-jacking syndicate), producer Paul Raleigh and Hood's parents, were welcomed by media, The National Film and Video Foundation, Ster-Kinekor Distribution, KFC, SABC, YFM, the Johannesburg City Council, casting agent Moonyeenn Lee and fans, following their whirlwind visit to Los Angeles.
Pheto said that the experience had been very exciting. "I was nervous on the evening of the Oscars but then everything worked our wonderfully. It was a fantastic experience."
Zola added jokingly: "Hollywood is full of red tape and a thousand times bigger than Johannesburg. We had to remind everyone that Zimbabwe is in fact a different country from South Africa, as is Zambia and Botswana. It's not all one thing!"
Director and cast spent Sunday visiting Diepkloof, Pimville Square and Kliptown (where the film was shot), giving local fans the opportunity to meet and chat to them about the Oscar win.
"From the start our strategy has been to take Tsotsi to the people, so that the people can take the film to the Oscars," says Helen Kuun, marketing manager, local content, at Ster-Kinekor Distribution.
"SA audiences have supported the film all the way, and now we are taking the cast back to the people so that we can thank them for helping to put local film on the global stage."
The next 10 days are going to be a busy time for the country's favourite movie director: lined up for him are a number of VIP dinners, meetings with government officials and a Cape Town road show.
Tsotsi has raked in over R3.5 million at the box office, outperforming surprise indie hits like Whale Rider, other 'African' successes such as Hotel Rwanda, and African-themed films like The Constant Gardener. Tsotsi opened in Johannesburg, and premiered in four Gauteng townships on 3 February 2006.
