A local film movement is on a mission to throw the underdog a bone by casting unknowns in its films, which are screened on DStv’s Mzansi Magic (channel 106).
Its most recent effort, The Voice, launches at the Botanic Gardens Conference Centre on Sunday at 2pm.
Ntuthuzelo Gentse, treasurer general of the Black African Cinema Regeneration Movement (BACRM), said the movement is about creating movies using raw talent.
“We source our talent from the people. Our 2009 film The Puzzle is currently running on Mzansi Magic and our new film is a hard-hitting, detective drama, The Voice.”
Gentse said The Voice is about a young man whose father is a taxi driver. After his father dies, he takes over the reins and becomes involved in crime.
“Along the way he starts dating a series of women and killing them. And I’ll not say much more here, but I encourage people to look out for the film,” said Gentse.
The BACRM started in 2007 after noticing the amount of local talent, but the lack of avenues to promote it.
“We found that it is so difficult to break into the industry, so we created this vehicle to give aspiring actors an opportunity to get in,” said Gentse. He went on to say most of the cast for its films was made up of university drama students, but some were sourced from open auditions.
“While The Puzzle was funded out of pocket, for The Voice the Durban University of Technology has sponsored all our equipment, and a very kind gentleman who owns a luxury boat sponsored the use of it for shooting. We basically ask around, and whoever is willing to sponsor in certain areas steps up. We are very grateful,” he said.