LISTEN | Mfundi Vundla: New film will encourage SA to 'stand up for what's right'

Generations creator and celebrated producer Mfundi Vundla is teaming up with his son Charlie on a South African western he hopes will spark conversations and bring about  change in the country.

The as-yet-untitled film is inspired by anecdotes in Nigel Penn’s 2015 book Murderers, Miscreants and Mutineers: Early Colonial Cape Lives. It tells the story of a young white woman in the old Cape Colony, who begins an adulterous affair with her slave.

Although the story is set on the frontier of colonial SA, Vundla told TshisaLIVE that it's lessons are important for the nation in 2020.

“It's a story about courage - of standing up to empire, standing up for your convictions. It is a human rights issue: love the one you're with, love whoever you want to love ... You should be allowed personal dignity, to express [your] fears and thoughts without fear or favour,” he said.

Vundla said Mzansi is currently going through challenges but can overcome them if it unites.

“In 2020 we face a lot of challenges. Take a look at our country today. There are a number of things that are wrong, that compel each and every one of us to stand up for the right thing, to ensure the democracy we firmly committed ourselves to is not threatened and is sustainable in the long run.”

The film is in pre-production but has already earned the producers an invitation to the prestigious Berlinale Talents, a film development programme at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany, to be held next month for 250 top emerging producers from around the world.

Charlie will be attending the festival as director and writer.