Optimism over SA’s film industry
B ORN in Havenside, Chatsworth, Junaid Ahmed recalls that his late parents were Bollywood fanatics, and one of his earliest memories is of rising very early every Saturday to catch a bus with his folks to see a 10am Bollywood film in the Durban city centre.
Those were “the glorious days” of independent cinemas such as the Naaz, Shiraz, Dreamland, Avalon-Albert and The Raj in Victoria and Prince Edward Streets, recalls the stillDurban-based film producer, who is committed to making seven films over the next three years.
He wallows further in nostalgia by recalling buying cinema tickets from the “blackmarketer – a one-eyed monster of a man,” as he puts it. “Well, I was still a kid then and, damn, he looked ugly.
“Buying samoosas and mum sneaking in her roti and beans, and then sitting in the cinema and being transported into a magical world” all contributed to special memories.
“I was hooked on Bollywood, hooked on film!” exclaimed Ahmed, the co-producer, with Helena Spring, of Happiness is a Four-Letter Word, a local film due in cinemas next Friday, and lined up for previews at some Durban cinemas this Sunday.
Starring Mmabatho Montsho, Khanyi Mbau, Renate Stuurman, Tongayi Chirisa, Chris Attoh and Richard Lukunku, the film is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Nozizwe Cynthia Jele, the winner of the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book.
Featuring a screenplay by Jele and Busisiwe Ntintili, the movie is directed by Thabang Moleya, and described by Ahmed as “a big romantic, contemporary South African story about urban Africans searching for love”. He believes it is set to be a hit. “Audiences are going to be blown away by the performances and the artistry that’s gone into making this a powerful and entertaining film,” he said.
“There are also wonderful guest appearances by stand-up comic and film-maker David Kau and Lira, who has written a song for the film.”
Happiness is a Four-Letter Word has other Durban connections – musician Brendan Jury, who hails from here, contributed to the score and actor Rory Booth has a song on the soundtrack.
Interacting
Although always passionate about film, Ahmed only devoted himself to it in his late thirties, after having graduated in the 1980s from the then-University of Durban-Westville with an Honours degree in drama.
It was while working as the secretary-general of the Congress of South African Writers (Cosaw) in Johannesburg that he began also interacting with fraternal arts and culture formations such as the Film and Allied Workers’ Organisation. “This fired up again my passion for film, and after leaving Cosaw, I was asked by some producers in Joburg to join their company, and this led me to the start of my 20-year involvement in the industry,” he said.
He established Fineline Productions in the mid-1990s and with his wife, Liza Aziz, worked primarily in the documentary genre, producing 20 documentaries and winning some international awards.
“It was while producing and directing doccies that I began to yearn to work in the long-form medium. And, of course, the Bollywood inside of me was still boiling!” he said.
In 2011, the National Film and Video Foundation put out a tender for South African film production companies to apply for development and production funding for a slate of feature films. Junaid Ahmed Productions was one of three companies chosen from hundreds of applications, and awarded funding for three years, from January 2012.
“The selection of slate companies was based on the uniqueness of each project proposal. In my case, I proposed producing feature films that would address transformation in the industry – each project would have a black producer, writer and director,” said Ahmed.
“I also proposed that the films be made in the popular genres (adventure, romantic comedies, thrillers, sci-fi) to address commercial viability of South African films at the box office.”
Ahmed put out a national call in February 2012 for film-makers and film companies to pitch film projects for his slate.
“Finally, Helena and I began working with nine teams from around the country, developing and producing selected films. We spent over two years just developing the projects before the roll-out of these films ,which began in 2014 with the theatrical release of Hard To Get.”
That movie went on to receive critical acclaim here and abroad.
Happiness is a Four-Letter Word was the second of the slate projects, explained Ahmed.
“We have spent an extraordinary amount of time in developing our films. Hard To Get, for example, had 18 drafts over two years and we also attached a very experienced script editor to assist the writers (Zee Ntuli and Thuso Sibisi).
“I was very aware that among major problems that beset South African films is that they are rushed into production when the screenplay still has major problems. So when the movie is screened one can see the narrative holes in it, and it does not make for a very enjoyable viewing experience.
“I wanted to make sure we did not fall into this trap. As a result, when Hard To Get was screened, general comments centred on how strong the script was and how this film has raised the craft of film-making in South Africa.”
This, he says, also holds true for Happiness is a Four-Letter Word, which was shot over five weeks from mid-July last year, in and around Johannesburg.
“It is funny, sometimes sad, a true reflection of life. It is a film buoyed by aspirational messages,”said Ahmed, who besides producing, is also an executive committee member of the Independent Producers’ Organisation.
“I am very optimistic about talent in South Africa, who will continue to make good films. Although this is still a relatively small pool, we nevertheless have some of the finest film creators here,” he said.