Truly underground cinema

24 August 2012 - 02:17 By Tymon Smith
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Presley Chweneyagae stars in 'Zama Zama', a film about illegal mining on the Witwatersrand
Presley Chweneyagae stars in 'Zama Zama', a film about illegal mining on the Witwatersrand

A LOCAL film, Zama Zama is set in the world of illegal mining on the Witwatersrand. Directed by Vickus Strijdom, the film stars Presley Chweneyagae, Lindani Nkosi and Khulu M Skenjana. We spoke to Tsotsi star Chweneyagae about his latest project.

What attracted you to this project?

I was fortunate enough to have read about illegal mining a week before I was invited to audition. When I got to the audition and Vickus Strijdom explained the concept, I was intrigued and wanted to be part of it.

Since 'Tsotsi', how have you chosen the films you've done?

After the film won an Oscar it opened a lot of doors for me - I now get to audition for guys overseas. In terms of work in South Africa, because we don't do a lot of films you can't really say, "this is what I'll be doing and this is what I will not be doing", but I've been fortunate enough to be part of some quite interesting projects.

For this film, did you speak to any miners?

Not really, but we had a lot of research material for understanding the world itself and how these guys operate and how much things cost. A bottle of Amarula costs R1500 underground, peanuts R150.

Do you have a different understanding of the lives of miners and the conditions they work under, thanks to this film?

Definitely. Our movie isn't political. It's a human story. What I saw last week at the Lonmin mine is just terrible. My view is that they should find a way to negotiate without bloodshed. I understand that the whole thing is based on wages, but if you've been underground and stayed there for four weeks, as we did, you can understand how dangerous it is down there. For long periods you're not communicating with anyone outside.

How do you feel about the state of the local film industry at the moment?

I think it's a good thing that there are more independent producers trying to make their own films and guys who are making straight-to-DVD films. To get people to the cinema we need to really try hard to make films with which people can identify. With Zama Zama I think we have something that has strong potential for commercial success because it is an action-based, pacey story.

  • 'Zama Zama' opens in cinemas today

 

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