'Zulu' movie renamed for SA

It's a gritty crime drama featuring some great homegrown talent alongside big-name Hollywood stars. City of Violence, which was shot in Cape Town in 2012, is set for release in South Africa next week.

The name of the film has been changed from Zulu for South African audiences because it features a Zulu cop working in a city not usually associated with Zulus.

Said French-born director and screenwriter Jérôme Salle: "We kept this title [ Zulu ] for most countries but I understand it can be confusing for South African audiences as Cape Town is not a Zulu area."

Salle, who is due to arrive in the country today, admitted he was not very happy about the new title. "To be honest, I don't really like City of Violence because it focuses on the violence, which is not the subject of the movie. And Cape Town is not a city of violence."

Salle also directed the Angelina Jolie movie The Tourist .

City of Violence, which opens locally on October 10, is based on the 2008 novel Zulu written by Caryl Férey. The 110-minute drama stars Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker as detective Ali Sokhela and Orlando Bloom as his alcoholic deputy, Brian Epkeen.

Local faces include actor Conrad Kemp, model Joëlle Kayembe - playing an exotic dancer - and Thenjiwe Stemela.

Salle said it had been very important for him to work with South African actors - only the two lead characters and five crew members were not local.

"I'm not South African. I needed their help - cast and crew - to make sure that I will be faithful to the country. They were amazing. And I kept in touch with many of them," he said.

The film was made at a cost of R170-million and shot in various parts of Cape Town, including the city centre, Sea Point and the Cape Flats.

"Cape Town is a great place to shoot with amazing locations, full of contrast. As much as possible, I've tried to stick to reality and shoot in every neighbourhood, even in the gang areas," said Salle.

He hopes South Africans will like the film. " Otherwise it means I've done my job badly."

Locally shot hits and misses

Big budget film, Safe House, starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, was shot at the Cape Town Film Studios in 2012. The movie raked in R450-million on its opening weekend in the US and nearly R11-million in SA.

Adventure thriller Dark Tide, featuring Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez, was shot in Cape Town in 2012 at a cost of R280-million and went to DVD after a limited release in the US. It flopped in SA, making about R80000 at the box office that year.

Dredd 3D is a sci-fi action film shot in Cape Town in 2012 at a cost of R550-million. It grossed about R67-million in the US on its first weekend.

Sci-fi drama, Chronicle, starring Dane DeHaan and Alex Russell, was shot at locations in the Cape including the Artscape Theatre at a cost of R134-million. The movie made R1.5-million at local venues.

Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler's rom-com Blended, shot at Sun City, raked in R200-million on its opening weekend in the US and made R11.5-million after its July release in SA.

The Giver, starring Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, was shot in Cape Town and at Wits University at a cost of R280-million and grossed R134-million on its opening weekend in the US.