Founding member of Cassette and former 5FM DJ, Jon Savage, has written, directed and stars in Stone Cold Jane Austen. He spoke to Therese Owen before he left for Cannes.
So, just how do you market an independent South African film about an English rock band, who claim to have started the Bellville movement ahead of Fokofpolisiekar, at the Cannes Film Festival? After all, you’re competing against Hollywood production companies like Miramax, the likes of Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt and Robert de Niro.
Well, if you’re a maverick like director, musician, DJ and producer, Jon Savage, you will find a highly unorthodox, but cunning way of doing it. His film, Stone Cold Jane Austen, was chosen by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) to be shown at this year’s festival which took place at the weekend. It is a mockumentary starring himself and Rob van Vuuren as two members of a band called Stone Cold Jane Austen who lay claim to the fact that they, and not Fokofpolisiekar, were the start of the Bellville rock revolution.
It features interviews with the likes of Francois van Coke and Wynand Myburgh from Fokofpolisiekar as well as hysterical cameos by Kurt Darren, Jack Parow and Catherine Grenfell, among many others. It is uniquely South African with one of the themes being the Afrikaans versus English language issues, resulting in amusing scenes.
Before he left for Cannes, the pragmatic Savage’s approach was as follows: “I am very realistic that it is such a huge coup to be shown at Cannes. I also realise that selling South African movies is impossible and that my movie has no appeal to international audiences. However, I have come up with a dumb plan.
“We printed 3 000 flyers advertising that Stone Cold Jane Austen is the cheapest film to purchase at Cannes because, essentially, the festival is a film market. Distributors go there to buy a bouquet of films. So, if my film is the cheapest there and a distributor from Slovenia buys it for $10 000 (R118 300) then I’d call it a win.”
But not only did the film impress those at the NFVF, Nu Metro also picked up on the film and were so impressed that it opens nationwide this Friday.
“A lot of things have surprised me with this film,” said Savage. “It’s incomprehensible.”
Making the film was no walk in the park. In the beginning he was stuck for funding and then took the crowdfunding option.
“It’s been mayhem making this film. We got half of what we needed from crowd- funding. People who are complete strangers to me came to the party. Kurt Darren’s friend who didn’t want to be credited gave an awesome amount.”
The fact that Darren is in the film about a genre that is so far away from his is remarkable in itself. But he plays the role brilliantly and his scenes are some of the funniest in the film.
“I think Kurt is one of the coolest people. He is very aware of what he has, but doesn’t take himself seriously. I knew him from when I was the musical director at the Samas when I did that ridiculous performance with him and Wrestlerish. I had this mad idea for him in the film and he thought it was so funny that he agreed to do it. It is either the worst scene in the film or it will have audiences crying with laughter,” explained Savage.
The film spent two years in production, but they shot most of it over 11 days which Savage admitted was rather manic. However, the end results speak for themselves and Savage is satisfied.
“Jack Parow was game for anything and the two scenes that he is in were shot two years apart. Wynand should get an Oscar for his acting. I am very impressed with his acting. In fact, this film is a homage to Fokofpolisiekar whom I believe are the best band in South Africa. They have that camaraderie that my band Cassette never had.”
Cassette achieved success last decade, which included touring Europe and England. This knowledge of the music industry combined with his passion for film placed Savage in the perfect position to make this movie. Stone Cold Jane Austen cynically portrays a man who is so passionate about the South African music industry, who so passionately wants to be successful and let his music be heard, but doesn’t have the know-how to make his rock ’n’ roll dream come true.
Meanwhile, Fokofpolisiekar are getting on and doing it as only they can. It is a sad but realistic indictment of how many bands all over world will never make it, no matter what they try and do. And that, perhaps, will be the first hook for international audiences when they watch Stone Cold Jane Austen.