25 October 2005
A new £95 000 (R1.12-million) state-of-the-art cinema was opened at South Africa House in London with a special screening of U-Carmen eKhayelitsha last week, at the launch of a scholarship for young South African filmmakers to study at the UK National Film and Television School (NFTS).
The refurbishment of the High Commission cinema, including digital projection and surround-sound, will give South African filmmakers a venue to showcase their films, documentaries and shorts in the heart of central London. It is the first major refurbishment of the South Africa House cinema for decades.
South African film U-Carmen eKhayelitsha won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival and was an official selection at 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
South African Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan opened the cinema, with the country's high commissioner to the UK, Lindiwe Mabuza, hosting the event. Guests included internationally acclaimed screen composer Dr Trevor Jones, Sir Sydney Samuelson, who masterminded the renovation, and NFTS director Nik Powell.
"Of all the cinema projects I have been involved in during the past 60 years or so, the one at South Africa house is certainly the most satisfying," Samuelson said.
"First, it will be a state-of-the-art showcase for the emerging young filmmakers of South Africa. Second, it has been created through the financial goodwill and technical expertise of many supporters in this country. What a privilege it is for me to have been the one asked to put together such an imaginative idea."
Jones, a South African NFTS graduate, has composed music for Last of the Mohicans, Cliffhanger, In the Name of the Father, Brassed Off, Notting Hill, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Around the World in 80 Days.
"I hope that by offering and supporting this scholarship initiative," he said, "we will be giving aspiring film-makers from South Africa ... the opportunity to maximise their talents through the high level of practical training and education, the close contacts with the industry, and the unrivalled state-of-the-art facilities for making films that the NFTS affords."
The refurbishment was made possible by the generous support of Odeon Cinemas, the Dorset Foundation and contributions from private donors and benefactors.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
