Jimmy In Pienk: Review And Info

Jimmy In Pienk

About

For the first time in his life Jimmy gathers the courage to leave his home and travel to Cape Town to seek help from his uncle in mastering the art of hairdressing and becoming a metro-sexual man.

.For the first time in his life Jimmy gathers the courage to leave his home and travel to Cape Town to seek help from his uncle in mastering the art of hairdressing and becoming a metro-sexual man.

For the first time in his life Jimmy gathers the courage to leave his home and travel to Cape Town to seek help from his uncle in mastering the art of hairdressing and becoming a metro-sexual man.

He convinces Jimmy to enter his reality TV show, “SA’s Next Super Stylist”. If Jimmy wins the competition, he can take home the prize money and save his family. With no experience in hairdressing, Jimmy knows that he is likely to fail, but he is willing to risk becoming a laughing stock if it offers him even just the slightest chance at saving his family. Under the fabulous tutelage of Bunny, his gay hair guru, Jimmy sets out to master the art of hairdressing and becoming a metro-sexual man.

With the final of the competition around the corner and the loan sharks’ deadline looming, can an honest country boy like Jimmy keep up an elaborate lie, or will the urge to be himself sabotage his chances at winning the contest and saving his beloved farm?

With the final of the competition around the corner and the loan sharks’ deadline looming, can an honest country boy like Jimmy keep up an elaborate lie, or will the urge to be himself sabotage his chances at winning the contest and saving his beloved farm?

Review

Jimmy In Pienk is a heart warming look into the polarised lives and cultures of the Western Cape, with the winelands on one side, and the quirks and conformity of city life.

Jimmy’s encounter with the gay scene of Cape Town provides many awkward and humorous moments, without being over-the-top, slapstick, or ridiculous. Although a lot of the humour is aimed at South Africans, and those who understand the culture, there are plenty of laughs for every viewer.

Louw Venter delivers a great performance as the lovable Jimmy, allowing us to feel for him, empathise, and in the end, celebrate his awakening as he realises his life-long desire to be creative.

Terence Bridgett is the ever flamboyant Bunny, in the midst of his own crisis in the gay community. We see Bunny change through the film, going from look to look as he is involved with one boyfriend after another, until he eventually learns to love himself.

Veteran actor Gys de Villiers, as Fredrique, is the character you’ll love to hate. Try as you might, you just can’t go so far as to loath him. As with Jimmy and Bunny, Frederique is also fighting demons, being shunned from his family, and decades later having his nephew Jimmy show up begging help.

Tinarie van Wyk-Loots is on a rapid ascent in the film world, and appears here as the adorable Rika, a young actress fighting to survive in Cape Town, one of the worlds busiest film destination.

The film takes us on a tour of life, love, and family, set with backdrop of South Africa’s Mother City.

Jimmy In Pienk will certainly do its part to further the local South African industry, winning hearts, and proving yet again, that “local is lekker” by delivering a world class film.

Jimmy In Pienk is a South African “must see”.

Awards

Hanneke Schutte, the Johannesburg-based writer and director of the quirky new comedy ‘Jimmy in Pienk’ which opens in cinemas on 16 August, has directed a short film starring Willem Dafoe, following her win at this year’s Jameson First Shot, which saw her fight off stiff competition from hundreds of other talented screenwriters and directors.

The competition, now in its second year, aims to discover talented film writers and directors from South Africa, Russia and the United States. It gives winners a ‘first shot’ in the film industry. Winners have their script made into a short film by award-winning production company Trigger Street Productions, and starring two-time Academy Award nominee Dafoe. The team of judges included Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti and Dafoe.

“Jameson First Shot has been the most incredible experience,” says Schutte. “Willem Dafoe was wonderful to work with. He was incredibly easy to direct and always open to suggestions when we were on set. It was a life changing experience and a fantastic opportunity. Last year’s films got millions of views on YouTube, and I’m really hoping there’ll be a similar response this time round.”

Schutte’s winning script, ‘Saving Norman’, tells the story of a hypochondriac ex-ping pong player who never got over missing a major tournament final because of a cold.Her submission was chosen for its freshness, originality, good structure, good shots, good sound and above all, great story.

“Hanneke’s win bodes well for ‘Jimmy in Pienk’,” says Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution, which is distributing the comedy in South Africa. “It’s a prestigious competition and winning it attests to her talent and is a great indication of her flair for comedy.”

It’s not the first time that Schutte has attracted attention in the industry. She started developing ‘Jimmy in Pink’ in 2006 for a pitching competition run by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the UK Film Council. The film was one of four genre-specific loglines picked from the entries to be developed with a UK script editor and a local script editor. The script was written in 2009, after which funding was secured from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

‘Jimmy in Pienk is produced by Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat of film development and financing company Light & Dark Films (LNDF). He has produced four feature films and a host of television shows that have sold in more than 60 territories. LNDF has arranged funding for eight feature films, and produced five feature films and three live-action TV series. The company has won awards on every continent and sold its work to all major territories and a host of small ones.

‘Jimmy in Pienk’ represents a full circle for NFVF-developed talent,” says Bhyat. “The film is the result of the NFVF’s investment in the development of writers, directors and producers. It is a unique voice in the crowded and often underwhelming local film landscape and I believe audiences are going to find it refreshingly charming.”

Jimmy in Pienk Official site: www.jimmyinpienkmovie.com

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb

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