Films about real people South Africa can relate to
FRESH from showcasing his latest films overseas, Kagiso Lediga is excited to be part of the Cape Town International Film Festival line-up.
Both films, Catching Feelings and Matwetwe (Wizard) premièred earlier this week (October 17 and 18 respectively), and have a second screening today and tomorrow at the festival, which is taking place at the V& A Waterfront.
The films will be out in cinemas countrywide next year.
Catching Feelings was written, directed and stars Lediga.
Set in a chic and middle-class Johannesburg, it is a tale of how life, love and art intersect in uncontrollable ways. Catching Feelings follows a jaded academic (Lediga) and his journalist wife (Pearl Thusi), who have their lives turned upside down when a celebrated and hedonistic older writer (Andrew Buckland) unexpectedly moves into their urban Johannesburg home with them. Despite their love for each other, their relationship has hit a rut.
Lacking excitement, the couple have settled into a routine that neither agrees with.
The second film, titled Matwetwe (Wizard) is a comingof-age adventure following Lefa and Papi, best friends and recent high school graduates, on the hustle of their young lives. Over the course of an action-packed New Year’s Eve in the township of Atteridgeville, the boys try to score a huge deal, dodge a kingpin gangster and his violent minions, get the girl and ultimately save their lives in this hilarious escapade
“The movies premièred at the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) in June and Catching
Feelings recently had its East Coast premiere in New York at Urbanworld Film Festival where it was well received. I thought they would be furious in many ways, but feedback was great, they loved it. Catching Feelings offers a lot of comedy, but also deals with things like race, infidelity, relationships and I am hoping that it sparks a conversation here at the festival,” said Lediga.
He said he wanted to make a film to tell the story of a modernday Johannesburg to showcase what people actually go through today.
“I didn’t want to make it about politics – I wanted to make it a funky, quirky relationship story that South Africans can relate to. Johannesburg is a place full of contradictions. It is Africa’s business capital and culturally diverse with a very messy recent history. I find it fascinating that the 30-something, black, middleclass characters portrayed in this film never existed 20 years ago because it was essentially illegal to be black and middle class and I guess it would also be impossible to engage in angst-ridden, existential navel gazing when you’re fleeing tear gas and rubber bullets from the apartheid cops,” he said.
For Matwetwe, Lediga said the process of developing this story located in his childhood neighbourhood and working with young actors from around Atteridgeville and Pretoria was very exciting.
“They are a bunch of skilled and highly talented actors. And working with them was amazing,” he said. – Tonight Reporter
Catching Feelings screens today at 2.45pm and Matwetwe (Wizard) screens tomorrow at 12.30pm at The Waterfront Nu Metro 6.