South African audiences are in for a treat when writer and director, Sunu Goneras’ highly anticipated coming of age drama, “Riding With Sugar”, premieres on Netflix, on 27 November.
The film boasts a celebrated cast that includes Hakeem Kae-Kazim, alongside breakout stars Charles Mnene and Simona Brown.
“Riding With Sugar” is grounded in African aesthetics with powerful, visually rich scenes and an urgent undercurrent of passion and grit.
The film tells the story of a young refugee, Joshua (Carles Mnene), who has dreams of winning a BMX cycling championship as a means of finding a better life.
A pivotal event redirects his fate. He meets Mambo (Hakeem Kae-Kazim), an enigmatic educator and foreigner himself who offers shelter to young refugees from all over the African continent.
When Joshua meets Olivia (Simona Brown), a talented young dancer from a well-to-do family, it brings him into a world he has never known before, but their burgeoning love casts a shadow over Mambo's agenda.
Of the experience, Gonera said, “Often the ’Mother City’ is depicted as picturesque and sometimes one dimensional with the mountain and the sea as the sole reference points.
“While this film certainly represents that view, it also juxtaposes it with a side of Cape Town that’s often ignored.
“A side where the dust and the grit prevails; down where the forgotten poor live.
“South African audiences, in particular, will identify with the realness and familiarity of this as well as with the undercurrents of hope that make the human spirit prevail.”
“We live in exciting times where stories, by Africans, have a platform to make our voices heard - our truth, dreams and aspiration are being told in ways that find credence abroad, and Netflix is leading this movement globally for African storytellers”, he added.
A cool, Afrofuturistic feature film, bursting with youthful energy, optimism and hope against all odds, “Riding with Sugar” is a visual masterpiece that young adults from all walks will identify with.