isiZulu film SA's official Oscar entry
1 October 2004
The ground-breaking isiZulu feature film "Yesterday" has been selected to be
South Africa's official entry for consideration for the 2005 Academy Awards
in the category of Best Foreign Language Picture.
The selection was made by a committee especially constituted by the Independent Producers' Organisation (IPO). The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked the IPO to oversee the selection process for a South African film due to its status as a private sector representative body of the SA film industry.
The production of "Yesterday" saw key South African film industry players
Videovision Entertainment, M-Net and the National Film and Video Foundation
partnering with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to produce the first-ever commercial isiZulu feature film.
The film, written and directed by Darrell Roodt ("Place Of Weeping", "The Stick", "Sarafina", "Cry, The Beloved Country"), took its story of an HIV-positive mother deserted
by her husband to the Venice and Toronto international film festivals this month - and triumphed at both venues.
Shot on location in the Bergville region of KwaZulu-Natal, "Yesterday" stars Leleti Khumalo of "Sarafina!" fame, Kenneth Kambule ("Backstage", "Generations", "I Dreamed Of Africa"), Harriet Lehabe, Camilla Walker and child star Lihle Mvelase.
The film tells the story of a young mother, Yesterday, who discovers that she is HIV-positive. Her husband, a migrant mineworker, refuses to accept this, and Yesterday is left to fend for herself and her daughter, Beauty, hoping she will survive long enough to see Beauty go to school.
Co-producer Anant Singh commented: "Although we have had fantastic reactions to Yesterday in South Africa and at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, the selection of the film for Oscar Consideration is the
first step in a long process which will see Yesterday competing against films from a number of countries across the world and we hope we will find success in this extremely competitive category."
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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