David Kau ropes in a fake family to get show on the road

There is a saying about not being able to choose your family. Its truth is reflected in comedian David Kau's new TV show, 'It's OK, We're Family'.

Kau plays himself trying to make a movie and using his video blog to make connections. The problem is that he lives at home with his father (Mark Banks) and his social-media-crazed sister (Natasha Thahane).

We're Family incorporates elements of a talkshow. Among the guests are designer David Tlale, comedians the Goliaths and Kagiso Lediga, and film director Akin Omotoso. They pop in to help Kau make his film.

Kau said getting a film made was like unravelling a Gordian knot of paperwork.    

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"South African filmmakers should not rely on waiting for the government and traditional channels to get funding. You can take your phone and make a five-minute shot and that is better than waiting five years applying for things."

Five years seems to be the waiting period for the lucky ones. Many of Kau's projects have taken longer.

"I remember when Kagiso Lediga told me he had started writing Blitz Patrollie. His girlfriend had just fallen pregnant. By the time we were sitting in Ster-Kinekor watching the movie, his son was six," said Kau.

The show mirrors Kau's struggles with the film industry.

Visits to film festivals, Cannes among them, convinced Kau that a different approach was required .

"The biggest thing I learnt is that there is a huge difference between having an idea about wanting to do something, and actually having something," he said, recalling how at Cannes he got more traction than he expected by simply having the finished product.

"Whether it is a short clip or low-budget film, someone who has made something will probably get more ears and attention than someone who has 10 scripts but has never shot anything," he said.

• 'It's OK, We're Family' premieres on July 7 on SABC3 (DStv 193).