{"id":1533,"date":"2015-07-02T20:24:38","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T18:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=1533"},"modified":"2015-07-02T20:24:38","modified_gmt":"2015-07-02T18:24:38","slug":"contemporary-sa-film-wins-coveted-jury-award-at-los-angeles-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2015\/07\/02\/contemporary-sa-film-wins-coveted-jury-award-at-los-angeles-film-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Contemporary SA Film Wins Coveted Jury Award At Los Angeles Film Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ayanda<\/em>, the new film by award-winning director Sara Blecher and produced by Terry Pheto, Busi Sizani and Robbie Thorpe was awarded a “special mention” by the prestigious Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) Jury when the 2015 festival winners were announced, following its screening in the World Fiction Competition.<\/p>\n

Ayanda had its world premiere in Los Angeles on 13 June, and debuted to rave reviews. The Examiner<\/em> said, \u201cThe Los Angeles Film Festival\u2019s 2015 mission to find \u2018\u2026diverse stories and storytellers \u2026 who exhibit true and singular voices\u2019 is fully realized with Ayanda. <\/em>Shot in South Africa, writer Trish Malone and director Sara Blecher create a vibrant, colorful film about a young woman looking to make her mark in today\u2019s South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The film tells the story of a resolute 21-year-old Afro-hipster Ayanda (Fulu Mugovhani), who has a talent for taking neglected pieces of furniture and \u201cbringing them back to love\u201d. Eight years after her father\u2019s death, his prized auto repair garage is in deep debt and in danger of being sold, but Ayanda does everything in her power to hold onto his legacy.<\/p>\n

Entertainment blog Indiewire<\/em> called the film \u201can important and fascinating piece that is absolutely worth seeing for its representation of a modern African story, which is uniquely, distinctively African, but also urban, fresh, and contemporary in a way that is far too rare. Anchored by a standout performance by the magnetic Fulu Mugovahni, the vibe and milieu of Ayanda<\/em> is as refreshing as a light summer breeze.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver City Observer<\/em> named Ayanda a \u201cstandout “Must See” in the World Fiction Competition\u201d, and \u201cA beautifully lensed film courtesy of cinematographer Jonathan Kovel\u2026\u201d The review described Trish Malone\u2019s screenplay as a \u201ca nuanced script with strongly detailed characters that come to life through some well oiled, fresh performances,\u201d and said \u201cFulo Moguvhani is nothing short of luminous in the title role with strong supporting performances.\u201d<\/p>\n

The film also stars Nigerian actor OC Ukeje \u2013 winner of the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers\u2019 Choice Award for Best Actor, Jafta Mamabolo, Nthati Moshesh, Kenneth Nkosi, Sihle Xaba and Vanessa Cooke.<\/p>\n

Both Pheto and Blecher were at LAFF to promote the film, a line-up of 74 feature films from around the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could not have wished for a better response from a discerning American audience,\u201d says Blecher. \u201cThe film was praised for being distinctively African while exploring universal themes of love, friendship and growth. We cannot wait to share the film with South African moviegoers. As a female team, we are proud to have made such a strong and vibrant film about women in contemporary South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayanda<\/em> was produced by Real Eyes Films and Leading Lady Productions, with the support of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), Africa Magic and the South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). It will be distributed in South Africa by Helen Kuun of Indigenous Film Distribution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe film has an excellent cast and superb production values, as well as a story that is young, fresh and distinctly urban,\u201d says Kuun. \u201cWe are excited to bring a creative product of this calibre to the local movie circuit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayanda<\/em> will be the opening film at the 36th Durban International Film Festival, taking place from July 16 to 26 this year.<\/p>\n

Ayanda<\/em> releases at cinemas nationally on 02 October 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ayanda, the new film by award-winning director Sara Blecher and produced by Terry Pheto, Busi Sizani and Robbie Thorpe was awarded a “special mention” by the prestigious Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) Jury when the 2015 festival winners were announced, following its screening in the World Fiction Competition. Ayanda had its world premiere in Los… Continue reading Contemporary SA Film Wins Coveted Jury Award At Los Angeles Film Festival<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}