Arts writer
THE changing landscape of post-Apartheid South African politics and lifestyles is portrayed through three queer relationships in a new all-South African feature film titled While You Weren’t Looking.
The production is the feature film directing debut of SAFTA Award winner Catherine Stewart (Mzani’s trending The Road, Isibaya, The Lab, Home Affairs, Tsha Tsha, Jacob’s Cross). It’s also the first film produced by Out in Africa, organisers of the South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for the past 21 years.
To date the movie has won The Pink Apple Audience Award in Zurich, and Catherine Stewart has scooped Long Beach California’s QFilms Jury Award for Best Feature Director. The award-winning film is out on the Cinema Nouveau circuit from today.
A complex interweaving tale, While You Weren’t Looking begins 20 years into the ‘new South Africa’ as ageing academic Mack (G ums and Noses and Sorted’s Lionel Newton) looks for Salute, the young freedom fighter he sheltered and loved.
Salute (Fezile Mpela of Mzanzi and 7de Laan fame) has moved on – he is now Joe, married and with a child, and rising in government and party structures.
Meanwhile, an affluent mixed-race lesbian couple Dez ( Binnelanders’ Sandi Schultz) and Terri ( Tempy Pusha’s Camilla Waldman) struggle to maintain their own desires and ambitions while reining in the rebellious instincts of their beautiful teenage daughter, Asanda ( Of Good Report’s Petronella Tshuma).
As their daughter falls for Shado ( Man on Ground’s Thishiwe Ziqubu), a woman from a different background, Dez and Terri must cope with their own hypocrisies and secrets, which threaten to unravel the seemingly perfect world they’ve crafted.
As such, the story hooks around the concept of a successful black real estate woman who is cheating on her white wife, while their bohemian daughter dates a non-conforming woman in Khayelitsha; and a white male queer studies professor pines for his black male lover from the revolutionary days.
The film was beautifully shot by Amelia Henning on locations in and around Cape Town over a period of 24 days. A strong soundtrack includes the likes of Toya Delazy, Zaki Ibrahim, Spoek Mathambo and Umlilo.
It stars Fezile Mpela, Sandi Schultz, Thishiwe Ziqubu, Camilla Waldman, Petronella Tshuma, Tina Jaxa, Jill Levenberg, Thembi Mtshali and Terence Bridgett.
Out In Africa (OIA) have screened more than 1,500 features, shorts and documentaries from over all the world. Of that 10% were made in Africa, or were about Africans, 22 short films were produced by OIA.
The production was funded by the National Lotteries Commission, with additional funding provided by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Other Foundation.
l Book: www.sterkinekor.com /#/info/7572/While, or www. sterkinekor.mobi/cinema/details/cinema:4%7C283 Watch the trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3v_E75-T2M For film information: feature.oia.co.za Facebook: www.facebook.com/outinafricaFF?fref=ts Twitter: twitter.com/outinafrica