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Friday, April 10, 2009

SCOLLYWOOD

Movies have been around since TV came into the world. A history teacher once told me that all movies are based on a story from history. Whether it be five months ago or fife hundred years ago. All movies are stories which happened. (Except fictional fantasy ones with dragons, unicorns and flying sharks) But you get the point.

Being a South African, I was so chuffed to hear that we are making movies and are starting to shine in the industry of Hollywood. To know that the big fish out there know where South Africa is and they know our history and they are making movies about Hansie, Apartheid, and Mandela. Yey! But those movies are made by American director and producers. Just the storyline is South African.

I was so disappointed when I watched my first homegrown movie. Then the next one. Then the next one. They are all based around South African gangsterism.
Always with the drugs, money, prostitution, the good gang member that gets killed, the evil club owner and the street kids.

Sure it’s great that these issues are being exposed but would it really hurt South African film makers to do a romantic film where it doesn’t involve colour issues, drugs and sex?

The Indians do it and look how successful Bollywood is. They do musicals and culture based movies. The nice part of their culture.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to do a little Oprah or Carte Blanche and expose the terrible truths about society but for goodness sake, do something different.
We are supposed to be hosting the 2010 World cup. If FIFA sees any of our homegrown movies and only sees gangsterism and racism there aint no chance in hell any soccer stars are coming here.

Our movies are putting out a negative impression of gangster land South Africa. Our beauty should extend the travel channel and onto the movie channel. Hollywood and Bollywood are exceeding us at a fast pace.
I can just see the foot of Table Mountain right now, with those famous letters in bold white, welcome to SCOLLYWOOD.

1 comments:

Sergio said...

Hmm, got a point there! The only kinds of films I have seen about cape town have been gangsterism documentaries!! One of them was an episode of Ross Kemp on Gangs when he interviewed members of the numbers gang inside Polsmoor and another was a locally produced documentary with a more comprehensive scope on the various gangs in Cape Town...It is really sad that this is what people see because thats certainly not a part of our lives. We see and experience alot of amazing stuff here but for some or other reason that doesn't seem to find its way into films.. Exceptions being films from upcountry like Panic Mechanic, Mr Bones, The Gods Must Be Crazy etc etc but thats all owed to old Leon, pity he doesnt put our corner of SA into a humorous light! :D