Joburg Film Festival rolls out the red carpet
● A high-profile American actor who first found fame in a hit movie about the Jamaican bobsleigh team that made it to the Olympics, a local screen queen appearing in a couple of the world’s biggest blockbusters, two struggle stalwarts, an awardwinning filmmaker and one of the funniest gals in the land were some of the glitterati who descended on Sandton to attend the opening of the sixth annual Joburg Film Festival this week.
Nelson Mandela Square landmark restaurant The Butcher Shop & Grill handled the social side of things for the night, while the nearby Theatre on the Square was the venue for the screening of the evening’s premiere, London Recruits.
I find festival founder Tim Mangwedi, on track to realise his dream of making the five-day event Africa’s premier film festival, in an upbeat mood.
“We’ve got a world of cinema back in Johannesburg again — lots of premieres, a robust masterclass industry programme, and bottomless champagne,” he says (the latter reference a nod to the bubbles from esteemed French champagne houses Lanson and Boizel being poured in a section hosted by a new festival sponsor, a red-branded bank that recently unveiled its new campaign).
Relaxing in the seated area was someone who took the “Sophiatown Re-Imagined” dress code seriously. That’s Connie Chiume, who has appeared in both Black Panther and its follow-up, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (the two Marvel movies raked in a combined $2bn+, or R38.12bn+, in box office takings).
Catching up in another part of the room were two politicos — Tony Yengeni (who I usually see only in Cape Town) and Ronnie Kasrils.
“I’ve moved back,” says Tony, to which Ronnie quips: “They say all the wise folk relocate to Cape Town, but he’s the first guy to do the opposite.”
On the red carpet, set up in a narrow walkway leading into the restaurant, I spotted actresses Lunathi Mampofu (standing out in a stunning red Imprint number), Nina Hastie in a pretty brocade dress by Gerrit Pienaar (one of many who interpreted the theme by donning a beret to finish off her look), and the always bubbly Rami Chuene.
The main attraction, though, was Malik Yoba, who has had a pretty good innings in Hollywood after he first appeared in the 1993 hit Cool Runnings, and is perhaps best known for his lead role in the police drama series New York Undercover. While I didn’t get a chance to speak to the actor, there to take part in one of the festival’s masterclasses, you can read Leonie Wagner’s feature on him in today’s edition of the Sunday Times.
It was also on the red carpet that I said hello to TV presenter Chris Jaftha, while Radio 2000 host Penny Lebyane introduced me to filmmaker Zola Maseko, whose impressive oeuvre includes the 1998 documentary film The Life and Times of Sarah Baartman (which picked up awards from Ouagadougou to Milan), the moving screen adaptation of Zakes Mda’s novel The Whale Caller, and the movie Drum (based on the life story of photographer Henry Nxumalo, played by Taye Diggs, which earned top prizes at both the Pan African Film Festival and the Zanzibar International Film Festival).
Zola says he’s currently working on a flick about Umkhonto we Sizwe. “It’s about the armed wing of the ANC of the liberation movement, not the ANC of today,” he points out.
Freedom fighters were also the subject of the fascinating documentary London Recruits, financed partly by the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, which debuted at the festival. But this time the combatants were mostly UK-based young people Ronnie Kasrils recruited in the 1960s and 1970s to undertake secret missions to detonate anti-apartheid leaflet bombs in apartheid South Africa.
Festival opening-night regulars will know that good food is always a feature at the JFF, and this year was no exception, with celebrity chef Benny Masekwameng wearing the toque this time around.
Canapés included smoked salmon tartlets with sour cream and dill, springbok carpaccio with onion marmalade, and those social whirl perennial favourites, arancini balls this time served with a chakalaka purée.
More substantial fare included deboned lamb neck with phuthu, sugar beans and morogo, grilled salmon with shrimp and mussel sauce served with a pea purée, and mini beef sirloin sliders with onion marmalade, baby rocket and chimichurri. Food, glorious food was also the order of the day at the other A-list soirée of the week. This time Desmond Mabuza’s citadel of fine dining, Signature restaurant in Morningside, Sandton, was the location for an exclusive dinner for Dr John Kani to celebrate the bestowal of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on the acting luminary recently.
While I wasn’t able to attend the get-together arranged by brand guru Thebe Ikalafeng and Kenyan businesswoman Gina DinKariuki in conjunction with Brand SA, lensman Masi Losi, who could be there, said it was “a beautiful evening with lots of laughs and great conversations”. So who turned up? British high commissioner Antony Phillipson, who announced in November that Dr John had been bestowed with the honour by King Charles, and his wife, Julie; power couple Sizwe Nxasana and Dr Judy Dlamini; former SANParks CEO Mavuso Msimang; and Tshiamo Mokgadi and Phil Molefe of the Market Theatre put in an appearance. Even sports, arts & culture minister Zizi Kodwa popped in (note to self: ask the minister how I can snag superfan perks next time we meet). And, of course, Dr John Kani and his wife, Mandi, were there. According to Dr John, the day represented a fullcircle moment.
“Exactly 50 years ago, Winston Ntshona and I opened at the Royal Court Theatre with Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island. The mayor was there, the high commissioner was there, a representative from Buckingham Palace was there and, most importantly, OR Tambo and Adelaide Tambo were there. It was almost like a royal command performance. Thus began my relationship with the United Kingdom.”
Now, you’ll want to know all about the grub, and I have no doubt Signature pulled out all the culinary stops. Guests took their pick from the à la carte menu, which featured pan-seared prawns with gnocchi served with a coconut curry sauce, beef with quail eggs, tuna and salmon with avo mousse tartare, mushroom tart, and charred ostrich as starters. Mains included soy-glazed sea bass, coffeerubbed fillet, curried lamb shank and duck breast ragout, while those with a sweet tooth could choose between berry semifreddo, berry cheesecake, a choc brownie and the restaurant’s legendary Malva pudd for dessert.