8 January 2007
Award-winning South African film Bunny Chow opens in cinemas countrywide in February following successful screenings at festivals in Toronto, Los Angeles, Cape Town and Durban.
Directed by John Barker and co-written by Barker and David Kibuuka, Bunny Chow follows the raucous, often ridiculous adventures of three stand-up comedians as they embark on a road trip to Oppikoppi, South Africa's biggest annual rock festival.
Along the way, the audience gets a fly-on-the-wall view of the trials and tribulations - and generally unsuccessful attempts at relationships with women - of arrogant womaniser Kags, devout yet conflicted Muslim Joey, and Dave, a naïve Ugandan immigrant with aspirations of "making it big".
Bunny Chow is a contemporary urban South African tale about young people and their journeys to self-discovery, self-delusion and self-destruction.
The film made the official selection for the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and had its world première in the festival's new Vanguard programme, which showcases stylistically bold films that appeal to adventurous, risk-taking audiences.
It had its US première at the American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles in November before being chosen to open the 2006 Cape Town World Cinema Festival, where it picked up two awards - for best actor (Kagiso Lediga) and most promising filmmaker (Barker).
It was also a highlight of the Kwa Mashu African Film Festival in KwaZulu-Natal in December.
Bunny Chow stars some of South Africa's funniest stand-up comedians in Lediga, Kibuuka, Salah Sabiti, Joey Rasdien and Kim Engelbrecht. It was produced by Lediga and Leanne Callanan of Dog Pack Films, and Michelle Wheatley of Dv8 Films.
The film is co-produced by Film I Vast and Republiken Films in Sweden, and SABC2. The National Film and Video Foundation, Ster-Kinekor Distribution, Magus Visual, Terraplane, and Ministry of Illusion are also partners on the project.
Dv8 Films' new sales entity, Deviant Selling, together with MTV Films Europe, is handling worldwide sales.
Bunny Chow opens in South African cinemas on 23 February.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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