‘Nul is Nie Niks Nie’, a heart-warming and darkly amusing new film about life, death and everything in between, tells the story of three friends living in a sleepy town – Martin ‘Hoender’ (Jaden van der Merwe), Drikus (Pieter Louw), and Chris (Daniah de Villiers) – who set out to make Drikus’ dying wish come true – to make a zombie movie.
The story is brought to life through the brilliant performances of its delightful young cast. “We had an extensive casting process and auditioned more than 400 children,” says director Morné du Toit. “Eventually, we found three lively youngsters who really brought colour to the story. Jaden van der Merwe was the first to be cast, and he set the bar for the others. The moment we saw them in rehearsals, we knew we had hit the nail on the head because together, they brought so much maturity to the characters they portray. In a reversal of traditional roles, they teach the adults and aid their transformation.”
Thirteen-year-old Hoender is a mathematics genius and a successful chicken farmer who makes pocket money selling his chickens’ eggs. He misses his father who used to leave maths problems lying around in odd places for Hoender to solve. His mother stopped living her life the day her husband passed away and she is no longer involved in her own children’s lives. Cindy (Reine Swart), Hoender’s sister, also tries to come to terms with her father’s death and, to escape her mother and her own sadness, she dates the sly Bruce (Luan Jacobs).
When Drikus moves in next door, Hoender unexpectedly befriends him and discovers that the new boy has Hodgkin’s disease. He tells Hoender this his dream is to make a zombie movie before he dies.
The trio is completed by Chris, Hoender’s dream girl. They quickly form an unbreakable bond, and together they escape the monotony of their daily lives – school bullies, Drikus’ overprotective parents and Hoender’s reclusive mother are all forgotten as they focus on making their movie.
During the filmmaking process Hoender starts to deal with the loss of his father, he makes new friends, works on his self-confidence and realises that he actually has a lot to offer. Drikus’ grit and relentless determination help to reignite the lifeless community in which the three youngsters live, and gives them a new purpose.
But despite Drikus’ zest for life, the reality sets in quickly – he is still ill. And to make things worse, the three friends and their film are threatened by a gang that is trying to steal the heart of the community. Hoender must dig deep to ensure Drikus’ film will be completed, he must stand up for what is right, go for what he wants and never give up in what he believes.
Together, the friends discover that zero is not nothing — it’s slap bang in the middle of the positive and the negative, signifying pure potentiality.
Also appearing in ‘Nul is Nie Niks Nie’ are Morné Visser, Marisa Drummond, Antoinette Louw, June van Merch, Kim Syster, Bradley Olivier, and Francois Jacobs. The screeplay is by Lizé Vosloo.
The film is produced by Redhead Productions and Faith in Motion Productions, in association with kykNET Films, the ATKV, and the DTI. It is distributed in South Africa by Indigenous Film Distribution, and will be released in cinemas nationwide on 7 July.
