Cape Town – Production of the first-ever short fiction film about the forced removals of District Six residents in the 60s, by the apartheid Group Areas Act, is scheduled to start in five months.
That’s if producer and scriptwriter Anton Fisher can raise the balance of the money required to start shooting. Entitled Letters to District Six, the film’s storyline is about a childhood friendship between two characters, Joey the Postman and Aziz, said Fisher, who added that the bond gets broken by the forced removals, but is eventually re-established.
“Two or three years ago, I had an idea to write a fictional movie script about the District Six experience.
“I remember that as a child growing up in Lansdowne, I had relatives who lived in District Six. My mom and I used to visit them.
“Uncle Dave (February) was my Godfather and my connection to District Six,” said Fisher.
His non-profit organisation, Divergence Film Foundation (DFF), had already received some funding from the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) for the film’s production, he said.
“I have managed to get an amount of R150 000 from the NFVF. We are currently trying to raise additional funds for production.
“Our target for our fundraising campaign is R300 000, which will give us R450 000 to start off the production.
“Our appeal is for people to make donations towards production of the film, through donations to our Divergence Film Foundation NPO,” said Fisher.
He added that every single donor’s name will be included in the film’s on-screen credits.
The banking details for anyone wishing to donate are as follows:
Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
Account no: 627 911 841 63
Branch Code: 250655
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJXXX
Account name: Divergence Film Foundation NPC
Please send proof of payment and provide your full name and surname for inclusion in the film credits. Send the email to: [email protected]