Acquisitions at Cannes

“We are thrilled to be announcing this exciting slate of projects at the 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival,” said Singh. “These are exciting times for us as we have a slate that goes across the genres of docu-drama, science fiction and comedy and what is even more exciting is that these movies will be done in South Africa and we are looking forward to our first co-production with India,” added Singh.

Videovision Entertainment is one of the few South African companies that has attended the Cannes Festival consistently for more than 25 consecutive years.

Shooting in Cape Town is More Than Just A Game, a feature length docu-drama which tells the dramatic and little-known story of organised soccer played among prisoners on Robben Island. Award-winning filmmaker Junaid Ahmed is directing a script co-written by Ahmed and Mail & Guardian columnist Tom Eaton, while Tsotsi's Presley Chweneyagae stars.

The sci-fi supernatural thriller Spoon is currently in post-production. Written and directed by Sharlto Copley and Simon Hansen, and starring Darren Boyd and Rutger Hauer, Spoon unveils the life of 28-year old Daniel Spoon who suffers from a medical condition which causes him to black out during moments of extreme stress. He subsequently undergoes a journey to discover his destiny while finding out the cause of his medical condition.

Currently in development is the sequel to the super-hit comedy Mr. Bones, which will be partly shot on location in India subcontinent as a co-production with an Indian production company. The film will star Leon Schuster while Gray Hofmeyr will direct a screenplay written by Schuster and himself. Mr. Bones hold the record as the highest grossing South African film of all time, earning more than R33 million at the box office.

Distribution front

On the distribution front, Sanjeev Singh, head of acquisition and distribution for Videovision Entertainment, announced that the company had secured the South African rights of two high profile films, We Own The Night and Talk To Me, prior to them being premiered at the 60th Cannes International Film Festival.

“We are delighted to have scooped the rights to We Own The Night and Talk To Me, prior to their Cannes premieres” commented Sanjeev Singh. “We believe that We Own The Night and Talk To Me will be critically acclaimed commercial films hence our acquisition of these films for South Africa. Talk To Me is a powerful film that speaks about social consciousness and the freedom of expression and is of special significance to South African audiences in our infant democracy.”

We Own The Night which is ‘In Competition' in the Official Selection, will premiere at the festival on Friday, 25 May 2007. The film, written and directed by James Gray, features a star-studded cast, among whom are Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes. Set in New York in 1988, the film tracks a new breed of narcotics that sweeps the city, bringing with it a ferocious crime wave more terrifying than any in recent memory. Outmanned and outgunned by the new criminal order, the police find themselves burying one of their own at the rate of two a month. An all-out war rages, threatening to engulf guilty and innocent alike.

Talk To Me, starring Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor, is written by Michael Genet and Kasi Lemmons, while Lemmons also directs. Talk To Me is a powerful real-life story of Ralph Waldo “Petey” Green, an outspoken ex-con who talks his way into becoming an iconic 1960's Washington DC radio personality. Inspired by the era's vibrant soul music and exploding sense of social consciousness, Petey actively stirs up controversy at a white-owned station. Relying on his producer Dewey Hughes to mediate, Petey's unprecedented “tell it like it is” style gives voice and spirit to the community during an exciting ad turbulent period in American history. Talk To Me had its international market premiere in Cannes last week.

We Own The Night and Talk To Me will be released in SA by Videovision Entertainment through United International Pictures.