The Dusi like you’ve never seen it
One of the toughest races in Africa, and a true story, inspired SA’s first- ever outdoor-adventure film. We spoke to the stars of Beyond the River
Scary insects in the shower, snakes in tents, a dog caught by a python and dodging crocodiles in the Tugela River… These are a few of the incidents that took place during the shooting of Beyond the River, and they were just what went on behind the scenes. It’s a film inspired by the true-life story of Piers Cruikshanks and Siseko Ntondini, two men from vastly different walks of life who were determined to win gold in the Dusi Canoe Marathon. One of the filming locations was the Valley of 1 000 Hills, where the real-life race takes place – ‘ We got a good sense of how hot it gets there during the race,’ says actor Grant Swanby – but they also ended up shooting on the Vaal and Tugela due to the drought, plus there were training scenes at Soweto’s Orlando Dam, which turned out to be as treacherous as the rivers due to the pollution levels in the water. It was an adventure to shoot, though, they both agree. ‘There were crazy rapids,’ says actor Lemogang Tsipa. ‘We attempted to do our own stunts in the Vaal River. We had only been practising on flat water so the first time we encountered any form of rapid was on set.’ He and Grant had to learn how to paddle from scratch, and how to do portage (carrying the canoe over rough terrain). On screen they had to look like proper sportsmen; even though stuntmen were used for some scenes, the actors did a lot of the actual paddling. ‘For the first two months of training, we didn’t even know if the movie would happen because we were very bad at it,’ laughs Lemogang. Not just all nail-biting action, the film also has ‘big visuals’ and stunning scenery. Both actors grew up in KZN and feel extremely proud of how beautifully the landscapes have been captured on screen. And at its heart, the story is an inspiring one, says Grant. ‘It’s about listening to each other and pulling together as South Africans.’