The new local family feature, LIEWE KERSFEESVADER directed by Etienne Fourie (Dis Koue Kos, Skat), and produced by Stefan Enslin (Strikdas, Nul Is Nie Niks Nie) releases at cinemas nationally on 17 November and is the first Afrikaans language foray into the popular Christmas film genre. The film is set in the sleepy, arid, Karoo and features enough off-the-wall characters to fill a circus tent.
While the film takes its cues from the many genre films that have gone before, it offers a uniquely South African take on this most joyous, loved, dreaded and stressful holiday of the year. In Liewe Kersfeesvader, comedy is employed to negotiate the perils of the festive season, however, this is certainly not the only approach and over the years we have seen many different takes on the Christmas film.
Through the years audiences have been enchanted, amused, shocked enthralled or simply confused by the plethora of films and different takes on the Christmas film genre. These span adaptations of classics such as the Charles Dickens’s favourite A Christmas Carol and animated gems such as Tim Burton’s highly original A Nightmare Before Christmas and 3D CG-animated comedy Arthur Christmas through to Bruce Willis’s box office mega-hit Die Hard and the Robert Downey Jr. Val Kilmer neo-noir black comedy feature Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Liewe Kersfeesvader probably has more in common with the 1994 Tim Allen hit, The Santa Clause, where after an accident and a trip to the north pole, Allen steps into the shoes of the bearded man and slowly morphs into Santa. It also gives a nod to films such as The Family Stone and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
“Etienne Fourie has managed to distil the madness and mayhem of the family Christmas into a script that is both extremely funny and moving at the same time,” says producer Stefan Enslin of Faith in Motion Productions who focus on films acceptable for the entire family. “Liewe Kersfeesvader is uniquely South African in its look and feel, but deals with such universal themes that the foibles of the characters are instantly recognisable and relatable.”
Written by Etienne Fourie, Liewe Kersfeesvader stars Morné Visser, Mila Guy, Milan Murray, Dean-John Smith, June van Merch, Terence Bridgett, Melt Sieberhagen and introduces Eloff Snyman as Hugo.
Liewe Kersfeesvader is distributed by Times Media Films.
