A film made-up of 90% non professional actors from a poverty stricken community in Hangberg, Cape Town, will now reach a wider audience after its screening on Saturday night.
Down So Long was screened at The Bioscope in Milpark, Johannesburg, as part of the Joburg Film Festival that ended yesterday.
The unprofessional actors all come from Hangberg.
Produced and directed by Angie Mills and Damir Radonic, Down So Long is set to be on streaming service Showmax. Its SA premiere was at the 2022 kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival.
It is a highly-entertaining story of Joe Mabena (played by Tshamano Sebe), a heavy drinking factory worker who loses an eye while at work.
The story opens with typical shot in a poverty-stricken community where people steal anything just to sell.
The focus is on Mabena, who is married to Doreen (played by Khadija Heeger) and have many children. When he gets injured at work and lose an eye, he gets a big payout and his family is hoping the windfall will change their lives for the better.
Instead, Mabena keeps his money to himself and eventuGlobal ally finds a girlfriend to chow it with.
According to Radonic and Mills, the film is an empowerment project of the people in Hangberg. Mills explained that they worked on the preproduction of the film for five years and shot it over 21 days on an R800,000 budget.
