From the award-winning team of “Inxeba” comes another unpredictable exploration of characters in the film “Stam” (The Tree).
Directed by Louw Venter, “Stam” will premiere on DStv BoxOffice in October.
The film is already generating a lot of buzz in the industry. It is being hailed as uniquely Afrikaans and without pretension or political correctness in its exploration of the inner world of a set of characters seeking to belong.
Set in Cape Town, “Stam” is a choral narrative which follows the interlinked lives of five very different characters over the course of a few hours.
Venter says one of the main themes that runs through the film is human connection.
“Now, more than any other time in living memory, we are being forced to look at the meaning and importance of human connection, a theme that lies at the heart of the film. The pandemic has proved unequivocally that there are inextricable forces binding us together more powerfully than we could ever imagine. We are all part of each other’s stories. “Stam” is an exploration of these invisible chains that bind us – connections and relationships that go far beyond familiarity, economics, gender, race or social standing.” says Venter.
‘Stam’ will have its world premiere in competition at this year’s Durban International Film Festival (Diff), which will be a virtual experience and runs from September 10 to 20. It will also be available on KKNK’s (Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees) digital screening platform later this month.
“Stam” stars Inge Beckmann as the female lead alongside Gideon Lombard, Tarryn Wyngaard and Niza Jay.
Venter says Cape Town, with its particular brand of tribalism, decay, magic, gentrification, globalisation and regeneration, plays a central role in the film.
“It’s a city quite unlike anything anywhere else on Earth,” he says.