Afda alumni in key roles on The Heart is a Muscle – SA’s official entry to the Oscars

The Heart is a Muscle was written and directed by Imran Hamdulay, produced by Afda alumnus and The Star Film Company's Adam Thal, Khosie Dali, Afda alumnus Brett Michael Innes and Lesley-Ann Brandt.

Afda alumnus Kabeer Shaik takes the cinematography credit on the film and Afda alumnus Keenan Arrison plays the lead role of ‘Ryan’.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Collaboration is everything. Filmmaking is the ultimate team sport, and success only comes when you surround yourself with the best. I’m grateful to be working alongside the very best and this once again is proof of it. There’s still a long road ahead, but for now, let’s celebrate the journey and enjoy the ride!” says producer Adam Thal.

Fellow producer Brett Michael Innes adds: “We’d all be lying if we said that being considered for an Oscar wasn’t part of our reward system as filmmakers. It’s not why we make films but it’s an opportunity to be recognised at the highest level by people we’ve spent our lives looking up to. To be able to be considered for this along side so many other Afda alumni in our team is a dream come true and a testimony to the skills that we all learnt during our time studying there.”

The Heart is a Muscle had its premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Panorama Ecumenical Jury Prize and continues to play at festivals worldwide, including the 72nd Sydney Film Festival, the kykNET Silwerskermfees film festival and the upcoming Cairo International Film Festival.

Exploring the bonds between fathers and sons through the lens of inter-generational healing and forgiveness, The Heart is a Muscle draws on experiences specific to South Africa’s Cape Flats neighbourhood which also speak to the universal search for reconciliation and belonging. The story centres on a man struggling to confront inherited memories and, through the slow work of forgiveness, learning how to become the father and husband he longs to be.

Since 2015 six other Afda alumni feature films have been selected by South Africa and Lesotho as their Oscar candidates for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film:

• 2015 – Thina Sobabili: The Two of Us, directed by Afda alumnus Ernest Nkosi
  
• 2016 – Noem My Skollie (Call Me Thief), directed by Afda alumnus Daryne Joshua
  
• 2017 – Inxeba (The Wound), produced by Afda alumni Cait Pansegrouw and Elias Ribeiro
  
• 2020 – two Afda alumni films were selected as candidates for the Oscars: Toorbos (The Tree), directed by alumna Rene van Rooyen and This Is Not a Buriel, It’s a Resurrection, produced by Afda alumni Cait Pansegrouw and Elias Ribeiro.
  
• 2024 – Old Righteous Blues directed by Afda alumna Muneera Sallies.

The selection of The Heart is a Muscle as South Africa’s official entry for the 98th Academy Awards underscores the profound impact of Afda alumni on the global film industry.