RANI Sitaram, a Durban film-maker, made headlines recently at the Cannes Film Market in France.
The platform is linked to the Cannes Film Festival and deals with the business side of the industry.
Vanity Fair was the first to run the news that Sitaram’s film, Greytown Girl, would be distributed globally by Gravel Road Distributors.
The biopic, which will release next year, also has Darrell Roodt, an Oscar-nominated director, at its helm.
Sitaram, who was born and raised in Desainagar in Tongaat and now resides in Westville, said casting was already under way.
She wrote the film and is also its producer.
The romantic drama is set in apartheid-era South Africa. It tells the true story of a small-town girl, Meena, who was born with a physical disability and was abandoned as a baby. But she perseveres and is able to build a better life.
Her journey of self-realisation and self-love unfolds against the backdrop of apartheid South Africa’s journey toward its first democratic elections. Sitaram said Greytown Girl was inspired by a true story.
“Sometimes it takes someone else to believe in you, more than you believe in yourself, and that person prompts you into action.
“For me, it was a beautiful, wise woman who I've always looked up to. She introduced me to Meena aka Greytown Girl. She suggested I hear Meena’s story because I would be the one to eventually tell her life on film. I made a promise and I've kept that promise.
“Meena inspired me. I have never met a stronger, more beautiful, fascinating woman. When you meet her, it doesn't take long to forget about her disability because she has a way of drawing you into her world that is filled with wonder and hope.
“Her true-life experiences are sometimes beyond belief and would bring the strong to their knees, yet she still prevails as a beacon for all,” she said.
Sitaram said Roodt was an Oscar-nominated director from whom the world wanted another great film.
“But more than that, one of his first films, called Jobman, was about the challenges of being disabled and black in apartheid South Africa. He knows the subject matter and the psyche so well.
“He also directed iconic black females like Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Hudson. For me, he was the perfect fit. Darrell loved my script. He said this was an Oscar contender and agreed to direct.”
She said that like with any product, one needed to take one’s product to market. Similarly, in the film industry, distributors take their products to market and Gravel Road Distributors was her choice.
“They are a premier distribution company on the continent. Gravel Road distributed the Oscar-winning movie Parasite. Meena’s beautiful story deserves to go to a global market and we need the best team to do that.”
Casting had already commenced.
“Darrell has identified a few of South Africa’s leading actors. We will continue casting and lock down all cast both local and international by the end of June,” said Sitaram.
Production is expected to start from July until August.
“This is a South African film, so 95% will be shot in South Africa. We have identified our locations in KwaZulu-Natal and a few scenes will be shot in Boston, Massachusetts,” said Sitaram.
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