The Story of Racheltjie De Beer is one that most South Africans remember from their childhood and soon they will be able to relive those memories as an adaptation of the story gets ready to hit the printing press.Naledi, the publishing house behind the new Riaan Cruywagen autobiography, have just obtained the rights to publish a novel, in both Afrikaans and English, based on the screenplay of The Story of Racheltjie De Beer, a film that will start production in early 2013.

The novel has been penned by first-time author Brett Michael Innes, the man responsible for the film’s script, and is inspired by the Afrikaans tale of the young girl, Racheltjie De Beer, who’s sacrifice during the 1800’s has inspired people for generations.

“We’ve done everything back to front with this story.” said Innes. “Traditionally a book is written and then the movie is made or vica versa. When Naledi heard that the film was being made, they quickly made contact with me and said that they wanted to release a book based on the script. So I wrote it. The funny thing is that the book will actually be released before the film even heads into production but, if you look at the timeline, the film came first.”

The first draft of the novel is currently being edited while the film is moving full steam ahead into pre-production. The novel has been shortlisted by the IEB as a potential set work for schools to use in 2013 which would mean that, while the movie is being made, students would be reading the story in their classrooms.

“It’s a gripping story with a lot of feeling.” says Cecilia Kruger, one of the researchers at The Heritage Foundation, who is helping with the historical accuracy of the tale. “I was very close to shedding some tears!”

Facebook and Twitter will give readers and movie-goers an intimate glimpse into the progress of both the novel and the film as the artists post up-to-date information on daily development.

https://www.facebook.com/RacheltjieDeBeer

AFDA alumni, Ryley Grunenwald’s film –‘Dawn of a New Day’ won the award for Best South African Documentary at the 5th edition of the Cape Winelands Film Festival (CWFF) this year. She also walked away with  two awards at the 6th SAFTA’s, with Best Cinematographer of a Documentary for The Dawn of a New Day and Best Director of a Documentary for The Dawn of a New Day

Well done Ryley Grunenwald!!!

 

About the Documentary
The Dawn of a New Day deals with access to health care issues through the eyes of three West Africans in need of specialized surgery. Meanwhile a South African plastic surgeon is searching for meaning as he leaves his successful private practice to volunteer on a hospitable ship – but at the risk of losing the woman he has always loved.



Hyacinthe is a 10 year-old boy growing up in rural West Africa. When he was a baby he fell into hot ash and the skin grew back, pulling the leg into a permanent folded position. He hasn’t seen his mother for three years. 



The hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, is sailing to Hyacinthe’s country, Benin, where free surgeries will be performed on board to the poor for no charge. However the surgeon can only see his wife three months a year, which may be too high a price that she is willing to pay.



Hyacinthe is temporarily reunited with his mother who must be his caregiver on the hospital ship. Can he convince her to not leave him once his leg heals? 

www.thedawnoftheday.co.za

 

Amidst the famous faces, the free alcohol and the Oscar-like decor, there we were. Treated like royalty even though we were just some fresh on the circuit youngsters. The night was an incredible experience. My heart was pounding when our category finally arrived. It didn’t matter that our film had traveled the world and picked up numerous awards. Here we were, a celebratory few, in South Africa, at the SAFTA’s. It has been said that you haven’t truly won anything until you win in your own country so this event meant a great deal to me.

“

And the winner is Umkhumbi Wethu ‘Our Ship’.” They had hardly finished saying the name that Danielle Erasmus, writer and score composer was the first to jump up, shortly followed by Tanille Retief, editor, myself and Raeesah Essop, producer. On the way to the stage we were joined by the lead actor Thulasizwe Kubheka and Brendan Barnes who helped us shoot the finishing touches.



It was an incredible honour to receive a Golden Horn while the current industry leaders cheered us on. We had what felt like a brief moment on stage where I thanked the cast & crew and everyone that made the film possible, those that were there and those that couldn’t be there. I said that it’s been a pleasure watching this film travel the globe but it’s an honour to receive this award in South Africa. 



We went to get some photos taken in the winners section followed by a celebration like never before! What an unforgettable experience.

By Garon Campbell

 

Welcome To The Knowledge Economy and The Information Society

Wow! Look at you, the latest crop of AFDA graduates. You are the luckiest people in the world today. Today is your day. You are at the threshold of a carreer in the creative industries that make up a large part of the emerging knowledge economy, whether this is in film, TV, radio, stage, new media online, mobile or live performance.

Today represents a significant milestone in your life: a day on which you are recognised among your peers and future colleagues in the industry. When you walk up here just now to be admitted to the degree you have achieved, savour the moment. 

As you walk up the stairs and onto the stage – take a moment to reflect on your achievement and bask in the admiration of your peers, friends and family. It’s a moment you will look back on with pride in years to come. 

Think, and picture this now, sometime in the future you are sitting behind your desk, and to your surprise, in walks your future boss. That may be someone sitting next to you tonight who is also graduating, or it may be one of the people in your class. It may even be, that it is one of the academics here tonight that is sitting at that desk, and it is you, the new boss walikng in to that office.

Or picture yourself on a boat on a river and in the middle of a shoot for a beer commercial, featuring a girl with kaleidoscope eyes. The camera operator and the DOP have been at each other’s throat about the F Stop for the past twenty takes and all you want is to get the shot before the sun sets. 

You sit in the boat watching this trying to keep your calm, because you and the two people arguing have been working together for twenty years, in fact since you graduated from AFDA. So you know how they operate and you know that you will eventually get the best shot because they were fighting to get the best, not fighting which each other. 

These are the kinds of networks and relationships that will be the basis of your working environment in the future. A future so uncertain and yet filled with so much hope and promise of what is to come. What new adventures beckon before me? What new challenges will I have to overcome just to survive in this technojungle, in this modernising world?

What kind of world is this you may ask yourself? What kind of society am I as a young adult entering? An era in which the birthplace of civilisation is a bankrupt state and the cradle of humankind is beset with the disease of poverty and human and environmental degradation. An era of rampant crime and corruption and a beautiful country plagued by the curse of of youth unemployment.

How is it, you may ask yourself, that a great nation like Greece can go from a high in civilisation just over 2000 years ago to crash and burn with the markets in 2010. How is it that the birthplace of humankind, in this beautiful country we live in can be both heaven and hell to live in? These are the times, the most interesting times in the history of humankind, in which you make your entry into the working world. Go out there with confidence, with an attitude that says, I did it, I achieved this degree, I am a graduate!

So tonight when you’re up here, look around, take it all in, remember this evening – remember this moment – it is YOUR moment. Savour the moment cause it ain’t gonna happen again, unless of course you plan to do your post-grad studies. But either way it will never be the same as the first time! Third year students returning next year to complete their undergraduate degrees, your time is coming!

Earlier on in my lecture I spoke about the technojungle out there, the modernising world. What is this world we speak of and what does it mean when we say we are an information society and a knowledge economy? I want to speak to you today about how the cultural industries that you are now entering have come to define the modern world, and what it means to be modern.

I want to spend a few minutes to reflect on the influence of semiotics in defining the modern, and the rise of subjects such as sociology and cultural studies, and the post-modern world of media and communications you will be working in. 

Semiotics

Semiotics, is the study of the social production of meaning, or the “science that studies the life of signs within society.”  Semiotics involves the study of signification. It emerged as part of a change “in our conception of language…[which is] connected with the current development of (amongst other disciplines) linguistics, anthropology, Marxism and psychoanalysis” (Barthes 1977:155-56). 

The change in the conception of language to which Barthes (1997) refers can be understood as a move away from a conception of language as a transparent conveyor of meaning to a conception of language as a socially constructed and structured way of making and exchanging meanings. 

Much of this change in the conception of language has its roots in the linguistic method of Ferdinand de Saussure (1857 to 1913), the philosophical logic of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839 to 1914) and the structuralist enterprise of the 1960’s.

The Sign: The Site of Production of Meaning 

Ferdinand de Saussure’s work is considered to have laid the groundwork for future investigations into the nature of the sign. With his concept of the linguistic sign, de Saussure created the basis of structuralism, both in linguistics and as a more broadly based movement of thought, in which all forms of social and cultural life are seen to be governed by systems of signs which are either linguistic or analogous to those of language. 

de Saussure defined the place of language in human facts and it is here that he first proposes semiotics (or in his terminology: semiology) as the “science that studies the life of signs within society… (Innis 1985:28). 

IN THINK I SHOULD REPEAT THAT AGAIN, IT IS SUCH AN ELEGANT IDEA

The growing influence of this way of thinking was also fed by the growth of new disciplines, sociology, psychology, and cultural studies. These new disciplines emerge during an era of major social transformation, giving rise to new modes of explanation. New ways of explaining the world around us, and new ways of telling stories, Remember twitter wasn’t always around!

So what does it mean to be modern and what makes this the post-modern era?

‘Modernity’ is that distinct form of social life which characterizes modern societies…and which has become a progressively global phenomenon.

Modernity…was constituted by the articulation of a number of different historical processes, working together in unique historical circumstances. These processes were the political (the rise of the secular state and polity), the economic (the global capitalist economy), the social (formation of classes and an advanced sexual and social division), and the cultural (the transition from a religious to secular culture).

Modernity can be characterised by a cluster of institutions, each with its own pattern of change and development. Among these we would include: the nation–state and an international system of states; a dynamic and expansionist capitalist economic order based on private property; industrialism, the growth of large–scale administrative and bureaucratic systems of social organization and regulation; the dominance of secular, materialist, rationalist and individualist cultural values; and the formal separation of the ‘private’ from the ‘public’.

Capitalist relations continue to provide modernity with its economic dynamic for growth and expansion, though forms of mass production and consumption are changing. (Hall et al, 1992:2).

These changes in mass production and consumption are evident in the way we consume our media today, no longer do we have to dash home to catch the seven o’clock news. Now we can set the PVR to record so we watch when we want or we download the podcast at a convenient time and place. 

Key theorists of cultural and media studies have demonstrated how the concepts from semiotics and methods of sociology were enthusiastically adopted in explanations of what has been referred to as the “cultural revolution” by Raymond Williams, one of the leading theorists of cultural studies. 

Critiques of capitalism discovered in the mass media—both print and electronic—the most accessible and hence directly available examples of ideological and discursive social practices, ripe for analysis. 

From political-economies of the media industry, to audience reception studies, from institutional case-studies to detailed textual analyses of programme output, the scientific methods of the social sciences, and in particular sociology, were applied in the research conducted, and in the explanatory frameworks developed to account for the phenomenon of the growth of the mass media of communication and of cultural production.

For Giddens, the rise of sociology is a key feature of modernity. The rise of sociology—in part an attempt to explain and in part a product of the political and industrial revolutions—has been linked to “a problem, a requirement, an obstacle of a theoretical or a practical order” (Foucault 1970:345). 

I have spoken earlier about semiotics or semiology: one of the foremost intellectual currents that flowed into much of the thinking of students of cultural studies was that sparked by this early 20th century “discovery”. The influence that subjects such these had on the way we understand ourselves and tell stories about each other is immeasurable. Using the study of language and the insights into how languages function, to study the way in which societies function is indeed revolutionary! 

The forms of mass production and consumption are changing! And they are changing rapidly. The new world of work that you are entering is a fast paced competitive global world. You do not just compete with your fellow graduates you are competing globally where millions of young people enter the media and entertainment industry annually. 

You are now the thinkers in this new economy, you have to solve the problems and challenges, using the skills and ways of thinking, you have acquired over the past few years.  Thinking laterally, conceptually, and creatively, using your fertile imagination: you are the lifeblood of the creative industries, the living soul of the knowledge economy. 

Not only will you be solving problems as part of your everyday work, but also among you perhaps are those who will discover the next killer app, sing that smash no. 1 hit, or write the defining South African screenplay. The future is yours to take, and more important, yours to make, it ain’t gonna happen to you, you have to go out there and make it happen! Go out there and tell those stories!

On behalf of the AFDA board of education I would like to welcome the parents, friends and family of the graduate class of 2011.

Today is a very special day for a very special group of young people who are often considered alternate, left of centre, niche, eccentric even crazy some may say. Professor Ken Robinson, a leading expert on creativity in the world speaks vociferously about how schools, parents and society in general discourage and slowly but surely beat out creativity in young people. Remember how many of you used to love drawing, singing and dancing when you were young? It seems its okay to be good at singing, art or dancing as a hobby or side interest, but horror upon horror that you think that you may make a career out of it. 

Fortunately, it would seem, the wheel is turning. You only have to watch TV to know this. Finally society is waking up to the idea that art is not just ‘art for arts sake’ or culture for the sake of culture alone the arts have become a significant revenue stream in most world economies and artists are been utilized to solve problems in their novel, diverse and often innovative fashion. The arts are now recognized as a viable career option, particularly in a consumer-driven society predicated on daily media carpet bombing and ever changing and accelerating technological advances.

The poster boy of this convergence of art, technology and business is no more. Steve Jobs was a unique individual, a misfit to some, a maverick who saw the value of art and design in business. In an product launch campaign which heralded the resurrection of Apple in the early nineties, Jobs created a launch video which would become the unofficial Apple manifesto. In a video depicting the likes of Einstein, Da Vinci, John Lennon, Ghandi, Picasso and Bob Dylan the voice over read: (by Jobs himself) 

“Here’s to the crazy ones; the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently.  They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them, because they change things, they push the human race forward and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do”.

I always like to believe that one of the prerogatives of being young is that it allows you to believe that you can change the world, I also believe that it is the nature of the artist to believe that they can change the world in one way or another - never let go of that dream - yes you have chosen the path less travelled, but you chose it because you want to live deep, you wanted to suck the marrow of life, so that one day it could not be said that you haven’t lived. (paraphrased from Robert Frost)  

You guys have done well on this less travelled path thus far, you have met, and in some cases exceeded the requirements of your Bachelor degree, and in the event of the 4th year students, your Honours degree. To those on the Deans list and to those who have achieved cum laude, you have truly excelled. 

For those of you that have exceeded the expectations of the naysayers, those who said you wouldn’t crack it - well done especially - may that force always be with you, attacking out of the sun as they say -  there’s nothing more gratifying than proving the cynics, the non- believers and the naysayers wrong. 

For those of you who know they could have done better - Tread lightly, once again you have quite miraculously landed on your feet - this is a great quality, but remember, these things have a nasty habit of catching up on you - Some advice: write this on your mirror: “ What you put into life is what you will get out of life!”  Maybe this will help you achieve what you are really capable of.

Nevertheless, as graduates, you have joined the elite 5% of this country that have a degree, and in the case of the honours students a very rare and elite group of less than 0.2.5 % of the population. You all have reason to feel proud. 

As you well know, everyone loves a winner and I am sure that many of you have heard of or read the work of the Canadian POP- journalist Malcom Gladwell, whose research involves various studies on the development of individuals who have achieved great things- Gladwell in a study of the Beatles for example, estimated that it took them 10, 0000 hours of practice to achieve their early success- you are at the very beginning of this journey- you need to know that this is the beginning of the 10 000 hour journey,  give or take a thousand hours, and it is what is it is going to take to achieve recognized excellence in your field. 

Gladwell also conducted studies of the top National Ice Hockey league players in Canada, where he postulated  that one’s success is more often than not predicated on the standard and quality of the peer group or league that you are trained and compete in. It’s a kind of mixture of right place at the right time meets small fish in a big pond kind of thing or by example, we know that when you play against tennis players that are stronger than you, your tennis is more likely to improve and visa versa. 

Fortunately you have been given the opportunity to compete with the best film talent at an institution like AFDA- and if the 35 SAFTA nominations by AFDA alumni or the large slate of films like Semi- Soet, 31 Million Reasons, Man on The ground ,Skeem or Material is anything to go by, then hopefully you have chosen well and that in the near future, you too will be part of the above successes mentioned and part of the future leadership of our industry. 

And in a final observation made by Gladwell: he postulated that for every successful person there are 75 people who have helped that person get to where he is today. I think that it is so important for everyone of us to acknowledge that much of our success in life is predicated on the goodwill and good intentions of others and that your initial, past, current and future success will be predicated on the contribution made various members of your society, be these your family, peer group, colleagues, mentors, bosses, ministers, teachers, lecturers, friends, lovers, acquaintances, husbands and wives- -all of these have and will in one way or another, contribute to where you sit today and where you will sit in the future.

I urge you to cultivate gratitude and to be humble in your achievements and to always acknowledge those who have contributed and assisted in your success.

And finally, I too, look forward to hearing and finding out about your achievements, I look forward to the notices of the AFDA alumni weddings and the arrival of the AFDA babies on Facebook, the companies you will form and the countries you will visit or live in as you all move into a new phase of your life. It is a very special time in your life and as crazy, or as alternative or as left of middle you may be, stop smoking, don’t drink and drive, always remember to be a good person, be proud to be a South African, remember the sunscreen, and as I always say at the end of a graduation address, live each day like your last, and learn each day like your first. 

Greetings,

As Valedictorian of the honours class of 2011 I am honoured to share with you some of my memories, from the last 4 years at AFDA, what has struck me the most is what I’ve learnt from the last 4 years, from my own experiences and those shared with my classmates. I come from a background where film was looked at as a negative medium that would influence one in the wrong way.  In my childhood watching films wasn’t the easiest at all. I could only watch films in secrecy, in the absence of my father or with friends outside the environment of my home as films to my father were seen as a polluting medium.

They are 4 defining values I’ve picked up over the years at AFDA from 1st year through to 4th year 1.Simplicity, 2.Tolerance and Patience, 3. Creativity/Originality and 4. Courage. In my recollects of first year and the various projects such as the first 1 & half minute film. What I learnt is that you cannot fit a story of feature film proportion into a minute as so many of us did. We actually thought we could pull off Apocalypse Now in a single minute. I have learned that there is depth in simplicity. There is power in the story a tear drop tells as it picks a path down a wrinkled, weather-beaten face and profound meaning in what is left unsaid. Yes, simplicity expresses much.  Strangely though, to achieve simplicity requires heavy doses of patience washed down with self-denial and discipline.

A man once said a director is only as good as his collaborators. In second year working with the dynamics of people came with its own conflicts, and fallouts, however it taught us how to work with a mixture of personalities and to be patient with others. What was pivotal in my learning was how a team needs to function together for the sake of the production, personality’s aside before anything can be achieved. 

A fond memory of a second year film I produced which we lost the location for on the eve of production made me understand this better, how important a crew is and how to lead a team in the most hopeless of times. Loosing locations is something you’ve seen or heard happen on set many times but when it happens to you it challenges all aspects and roles of the production.  It reminds me of a famous quote which reads as follows “where resources are limited true creativity is revealed”

An alternative had to be made, after a location scout began that evening into the morning of the next day a location was found hours before the shoot was scheduled to begin. A comment that the director made after the shoot still stays with me today, he told me how he had learnt to work with compromise a skill set a director needs to learn, he also said how he was glad it had happened now and not later in his career, it was definitely a learning curve for the entire crew.

Creativity & Originality – In my third year with the experimental and graduation film projects came with their own challenges. The intensity from second year intensified yet again, with the experimental film which can be said to have the greatest affects on our bodies with the physical demand we put on ourselves to complete colossal narratives in only 3 days. Experimental is always memorable for its darker narratives, only understood by the filmmakers themselves. 

Exhibiting our films at the film festivals gave us a platform to get a different eye/opinion on our work. As a filmmaker watching your film on the silver screen is as a very satisfactory ending to ones student film career having your work exhibited in a premium movie house. Those are the moments that live with you driving you forward to work your hardest to have your films back on that screen.

In my fourth year, I removed myself from my comfort zone, and learnt to take calculated risks. When doing my graduation film the Hajji, which most people thought was completely different to what I was expected from me. I felt the pressure from all aspects my crew and family.  I went back and forth about the story selection nervous about telling a story outside my religious beliefs, and of course being aware that I could have my head on the chopping I got the representation of characters wrong.

Why I did the film…? The story had something that resonated with me, something I understood about it that I couldn’t understand at first but through the days, weeks and month, I would understand why I was making this story and what it was about it had themes that spoke to me about my own life that I could relate to and understood. So many times we’ve been told to tell stories we know something about and it helped no matter how foreign the setting seemed it was very close to home the human conflicts and themes the story dealt with.

I believe that the Values I have covered of 1.Simplicity 2.Tolerance and Patience 3. Creativity/ Originality and 4. Courage, are some of the ingredients to being a successful filmmaker, going into the industry. Thus as we depart on our own various paths take these values and apply them to your acquired knowledge of cinema, I wish you all the best in this journey of self discovery.

Regards
Zwelethu Radebe
Honours Valedictorian

When I was a young girl I saw the world as a place filled with countless opportunities and exciting adventures, I was often perplexed as to what I wanted to become when I was grown up, there were so many choices. I wanted to do so much. I wanted to become a Supreme Court judge or a prima ballerina. I wanted to be on stage every day and I wanted change the world. All I knew was that I wanted to make a difference and by doing so I wanted to be happy. When my Dad asked my four year old niece what she wanted to be when she grew up she confidently said, “The Tooth fairy Grandpa.” When he asked her why the tooth fairy, she said because that would make her happy. Following that, my dad told my sister and I that, in life, the most important thing to have is a smile on your face every day you go to work, because then you know you are doing the right thing. 

When I embarked on my degree at AFDA I had no idea what was in store for me. The sleepless nights, the terrifying VALA panels, or the challenges with ADR. However, looking back, I now know it was worth it. It was an adventure I will never forget. The past three years will always be with me. Not because of the low points or the high points. But, in fact, as silly as it sounds, because I feel like I am looking around at the faces of my extended family. You have all become such an important and respected part of my life and I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Mr. Holmes, Mr. Van Rensburg, Mr. Human, the staff of AFDA.

Firstly, for creating such a unique institution where young creative minds like ours can come to develop our potential and absorb the skills and knowledge that will allow us to make our dreams come true. And, secondly, for putting up with the high spirited and sometimes difficult members of the 2011 graduating class. We know it has been a trying three years, teaching our class, but we hope it has been rewarding. Most importantly we want you to know that we appreciate everything each and every one of you has done for us.

To the parents, families and friends of the graduating class. The past three years have been challenging and testing and I’m sure I speak for every student when I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. To the parents that have had to foot the bill and put up with their children locking themselves in their rooms for days, sometimes with molding plates of food and strange smells emulating, we thank you for believing in us and supporting our dreams. To our friends, thank you for being our friends even though we never have had enough time to chill with you. 

And finally to the graduating class of 2011, to my peers, my friends. Gareth Grey and Ingrid De Beer once dubbed me as Mama Ami Ami, and Jaryn Goelst calls me Mama Goose… Well today, as Mama Goose or Mama Ami Ami, I have an overwhelming sense of pride when I look at each of the 2011 graduates. Sometimes I find it a wonder how we all survived the shell shocking first year, boot camp during second year or the pressures of third year. But we did it! We faced each challenge with a creativity and strength that I have never witnessed before in our generation. Each task that was put before us we devoured showing that we are capable of almost anything and that, with dedication, perseverance and hard work; we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. 

I look back on the astonishing films created during the past three years and I take my hat off to the great story tellers of our class. And by story tellers I don’t just mean directors and writers. In truth, when I arrived at AFDA I did not have the first clue what an editor was, what a sound guy was actually useful for or what on earth visual effects were. However, it has become abundantly clear that every member of a production crew plays a vital part in the telling of a story. From the breathtaking shots mastered by cines, to the emotive music that takes an audience to new heights. As well as the writers that keep us captivated with their moving stories, and the actors that dazzle us with their powerful performances. But all of this you have heard before and you have proven time and again that you understand the importance of team work.

What I would like to leave you with today is something that I have heard recently and has stuck in my mind. Documentary maker, Paul Yule, told the honours class of 2012 that, as filmmakers, we are the high priests of society. When I first heard this I thought it was quite a bold statement as how could mere filmmakers be compared to men and women that have been pillars of strength and faith in society for centuries. But then it all became clear to me. As filmmakers we are entrusted with the greatest gift man has ever known, that of storytelling. As filmmakers, it is our duty to take perplexing issues in society, and, by using the art of motion picture, explain those issues to society in ways they can relate to and internalize. We have been blessed to journey into the film industry with the individuality and skills that are unique to us, for a story may have been told many times but it has not yet been told by you. You are the one who could make somebody else understand and develop a better understanding of life, this is a marvelous gift. 

So I urge you to go out into our beautiful country and make your mark on the world, to build the South African Film Industry by contributing your unique and wonderful skills to it. Greatness is not in some of us, it is in each person that sits before me and it has been an absolute privilege to study alongside you. So as my niece said her dream is to become the tooth fairy, I would like to thank each one of my peers for making one of my dreams come true. The dream of getting up every morning with a smile on my face and truly enjoying what it is I have learnt to do. 

In the words of Helen Keller, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing,” may each of you go on to live exciting daring adventures and may you never stop loving what it is you do. Thank you. 

Executive Chairman Holmes, COO Mr. Janse van Rensburg, COO Dr. Dulhaart, council members, faculty members, family, friends and fellow graduates – thank you for being here today and joining in the celebration of yet another successful year.

I would like to start off by expressing my gratitude for the incredible honour and the opportunity to represent my peers today. Although the biggest honour of all, undoubtedly, is being able to count each and every one of you as my friend.

I suppose that if we had to sum up our reason for all being together in this room today, it would be “art”. I have also always firmly believed that honesty is the only real inspiration for art. It is what makes an image move the observer, what motivates a character and above all, inspires the creator. And in the spirit of honesty, I have to admit that coming up with words to speak today is perhaps one of the hardest things I have had to do in years (and that includes convincing my parents to allow me to pluck from the tree on which money grows for yet another year). Not because I have nothing to say or out of fear, but because of the strange reality I am faced with, being back here, in the exact same spot, a whole year later. I suppose it is inevitable that one would be inspired to draw comparisons. And for me, the change that came over the span of a year is immense. I think perhaps the hardest part was trying to conjure up some words that may inspire you today – but then again, you probably wouldn’t be here if you weren’t already.

It is hard to look back and sum our honours year up in some neat little package. Because it isn’t something that happened – it is something that is happening. The mere beginning of a journey. Which, to be honest – and to AFDA’s credit – is exactly what the point of an honours year should be. I have always believed that a good story is one that stretches far beyond the confines of its running time, the characters leading their lives long after the final credits have rolled. And a finer story we could not be telling.

This was also the year where, like a secret virus, our collective worst fear as young creatives started to spread – the creeping suspicion that we were finally forced to grow up. The shine of a student’s life was steadily beginning to wane and with that, the suffocating fear of where our paths might lead us. “It is a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. And if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where your feet might be swept off to.” – Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings.

This year was different in so many ways. Perhaps the most noticeable was the tragic death of many a flourishing social life – no more aimlessly spending pocket money at Trenchtown and even the occasional beer was rarely unaccompanied by talk of our films or plans of the future. Therefore, I think each and every person had quite a unique experience this year, each on his or her own journey of discovery. For me, my fourth year at AFDA was a truly unique and exceptional one. One that can only be summed up by a kind of mental montage of scenarios and its characters. There were no major explosions or public scenes, merely small and quiet moments, but ones that will forever define a year in the lives of a handful of individuals, celebrated here today:

“Say goodbye to your social lives today, ladies and gentlemen.” Mr. Drake says on that first day. Robyn groans audibly and then proceeds to fire off a series of curse words that would raise the hairs on the necks of several drunken sailors – she didn’t buy those Louis Vuitton leopard print high heals to lie discarded in a closet. Mm-mh, no ma’am. (Mario sheds a silent tear at this unwelcome news in the corner of LT4, already missing his former life.) And how right Mr. Drake was. But that meant, in no way, that it would not still turn out to be one of the most enjoyable years of our lives. 

I think we all remember a bare-footed Rusty trotting around in torn shorts and stained T-shirts, vaguely curious about what day of the week it is. (“It’s lank chilled, bro.”) Nina’s wet kisses, face stained by tears caused by her attempts to master Final Cut Pro – which she eventually did! We never had a doubt, Neens. Ryan Kruger’s 200 page 48-minute script…Wayne crying in a ball on the floor of the cafeteria. Chris “Kwassie” Bekker – need I say more? And I fondly remember the day that most of our lives changed – the gentle, yet confident pitter-patter announcing the arrival of someone truly exceptional. Just when we all thought the man could be looked up to no more, our dear friend Louis rose to much greater heights – literally – sporting what can only be described as the fugliest, highest woman’s boots any of us had ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on. A voice sounds over the Walkie-Talkies: “Can everyone please take the time today to make fun of Louis’ ridiculous shoes, thank you. Over.” Louis, my dierbare vriend, I would like to formally award you with the title of 2011’s Mr. Congeniality. No one deserves it more. Congratulations.

We have made friends, we have lost friends and thanks to two of our fellow AFDA colleagues, we have gained a new little crew member. Congratulations to the Cherry family – that is going to be one talented little kid.

This year we also discovered parts of ourselves we would have never guessed existed, including several muscles that collapse under stress and the joy we find in Harvard referencing. And through all this madness we prevailed, leaving our legacy as AFDA students in the great works of art we created as a group. If art is a funny thing, the artists are, undeniably, even stranger. And when a bunch of unique, opinionated and exceedingly creative people are thrown together in a bag, and then shaken, there is no telling what the contents might reveal. Yet, here we are:

We were transported into a distant, yet familiar future by our two in-house intellectuals – Kyle and Donald in “THERE ARE NO HEROES”. We followed the journey of a peculiar girl in “PETULIA”, allowing a unique and honest glimpse at her modern insecurities. We found ourselves falling in love with the most unlikely of protagonists in “WALTER”, reminding us of the devastating effect regrets can have on a person’s life. We were confronted with the wonderfully bizarre in “MY SIGHT FOR SORE EYES”, and reminded of the incredible power a little bit of love can wield in “DIE WINDPOMP.” And last but not least, we found ourselves wanting, more than anything, to Level Up in Jeff’s video game. All in all not a bad legacy to be remembered by. Congratulations guys, on a job superbly done. 

I would like to thank, especially, Mr. Garth Holmes, who turned out to be a much wiser (and younger) wizard than I always imagined Dumbledore to be. Without your guidance and support, sir, the great heights that we have reached this year would undoubtedly still be mere dreams. Thank you for truly listening to us and supporting even the most unlikely of characters.

And to our fearless, yet often frustrated leader, Mr. Stephen Drake, sir, I would like to sincerely apologise on behalf of the entire year group for the grey hairs we undoubtedly gave you. You put up with much more than even a politician’s salary could ever warrant. It is therefore also indisputable that taking care of us was always so much more than a mere occupation to you. We thank you for the guidance and patience that you always offered with unrelenting generosity. You have come to be much more than our lecturer, but a true friend to us all.

And the biggest thanks to the people patiently awaiting our return from within the bubble that we had created for ourselves. Here is to our families who still struggle to fully grasp what it is we do. Here is to our friends who have forgotten what we look like or what our jokes sound like. Here is to the people who doubted that we had what it took. Here is to the people who wish they could do what we do. And here, most of all, is to us, who relentlessly keep at it despite all of this. 

It is inevitable that at the end, we tend to remember the beginning. And when I allow myself to rewind four years in my mind, I am surprised by the person that I find there. And even more surprising still, is the person that I have become. It would be great to do the Alphaville thing and remain forever young, but I am sure that if you put a pirate’s sword to Peter Pan’s throat he, too, would admit that growing up is necessary. But he would also be the first to add that growing up and growing old are two vastly different concepts.

My heart beats faster when I think of what is still to come. I am both excited and frightened by the idea of leaving the place, where I have grown so much, behind. I am excited for the possibilities awaiting us now, but also saddened by the thought of what we leave behind. I will miss the roll of Bonita’s eyes, being hugged by the scent of her sweet perfume wafting through reception. I will miss the concrete seats, the film can ashtrays. I will miss cigarettes in the quad, the tiny polystyrene balls floating in my filter coffee at the canteen. I will miss late nights, building in the studio. I will miss Mr. Sparks wounding you with a look as he stalks past the post building, rattling his keys. I will miss the tired hopelessness, shortly before shooting, mirrored in the eyes of my colleagues. I will miss Mario badly disguising his laughter at the worst times imaginable, and constantly being caught saying profane things by the lovely tuck shop lady. God bless her. I will miss Mickey’s cheerful “Ha-lo!”, Robyn’s Hillbilly accent to the group of unsuspecting onlookers. I will miss the sinking feeling in the stomach when Mr. Drake saunters over, casually inquiring about your well-overdue thesis. I will miss the pressing walls of my dear friend Johan’s kitchen, where we spent an entire year concocting something that we would get to be proud of for a lifetime. I will miss having someplace to go in the mornings, the place that I know. The place that I have come to know and will forever know intimately. A place that will, inevitably, change and create new memories for a fresh batch of filmmakers. A place that will forever merely continue to exist in our minds as we remember it. The question now is merely how much we will change now that we part with it. I guess that part is only truly up to us.

I have no quotes to finish off with or some sentimental statement from a film that we all love. Instead, I challenge each and every one of you, my colleagues, to go make yourselves worthy of being quoted in future. So that in ten or twenty or thirty years from now, another small-town, Afrikaans boy with big dreams can finish off his speech with your wise and worthy words. 

And as we step over the threshold of yet another chapter in our lives, braving something big and new, I urge you to be brave, to remember what inspires you and above all else, kick some serious ass, so that when we bump into one another, be it ten years from now, that we can look each other in the eye and proudly and honestly say that we gave it all we had. That we did the best we could. That we didn’t settle for what was possible and easy, but that we fought, with bloody noses, bleeding knuckles and gritted teeth for what we always secretly believed we deserve.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
- Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings.

I am so honoured to have worked alongside each one of you and so proud to speak on your behalf today. Now let’s go show them what we’ve got. We, as colleagues, as friends, owe each other that.

Congratulations class of 2011!

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, members of the industry and the class of 2011. My name is Eilidh Goosen and I am very pleased to see that most, if not all of you are still awake and as a reward, I shall do my best not to bore you to death.

It is an honour to stand here before you and deliver the Valedictorian’s speech for such an incredible group of students, filmmakers and friends. It’s strange to think that our three years together have come to an end when the first day on campus in 2009 still feels so fresh in our minds. The third years at the time must have laughed at us poor lost souls hanging around, waiting for something to happen or to find someone to speak to. We’ve come a long way since that first day, we’ve made in friend’s in people we never thought we would, our dress sense has altered greatly as has most of our hair styles but more importantly, our abilities and talents as filmmakers has grown substantially.

I’m sure we all remember the very first films we shot. Those 1-minute disaster-pieces shot in half a day that we were so proud of at the time but now, most likely, would do anything to keep them hidden! That very first taste of what it was to be a filmmaker had us growing ulcers but little did we know, that was just the beginning.

First year was a breeze. Everyone had told us how stressful the course was at AFDA and how we’d end up in the foetal position on the floor somewhere but we didn’t feel the pressure at all really in first year. We had more free time than classes most weeks, we had social lives, our families recognised our faces, we were clocking 8 hours plus a night and in no time at all, year one was done. Second year couldn’t possibly be that much worse!

Oh, were we wrong. Our naive little selves were unceremoniously thrown into the deep end and held under for what felt like years right from the word go. Although we probably don’t remember what all the fuss was for, those five 5-minute films drained the life from us, physically, mentally and emotionally. What was meant to only be 12 hour shoots became more: sometimes much more for various reasons. For fear of implicating my fellow classmates, I won’t say how much more but let’s just say those 8 hours of sleep we used to get the previous year were now a pipedream. Often we would have to walk off set straight into post simply because there was no other choice due to the number of films and the limited resources. That’s where coffee became our friend and post traumatic stress, also known as post madness first set in.

For those who have been in the edit suite or sound suite around 11pm at night, you will know what I’m talking about. Sleep-deprived students on a caffeine high bursting into fits of uncontrollable laughter followed closely by tears and sob stories of “I can’t do this, it’s too hard. What was I thinking?” was a common sight. We’ve all been there, we’ve all had those all fall down moments when the sound recordings got lost, or the camera malfunctioned or the location hosts told us at the last minute we can’t shoot there or what we had in our mind was just not working and it was too late to change it.

The problematic possibilities were endless and we convinced ourselves, that beyond a shadow of a doubt, the universe was conspiring against us! At times like those, when AFDA became pessimism central, when we just wanted to give up and go home, we had our lecturers, we had our crew, our family and friends who would tell us in no uncertain terms to suck it up sunshine! It’s not just about you. There is a job to finish. “Failure is an option, but fear is not”. James Cameron knew what he was talking about when he said those words. And as anxious or stressed out or tired as we were, we always pushed through and we were able to deliver completed projects that improved each time we took up our positions on set.

Second year was the year that we realised just how much we needed each other and that we couldn’t do it all on our own as much as some of us tried. And believe me, we tried. Every single person involved in our projects was integral from the scriptwriter to the sound designer to the cinematographer and everyone in between and without a common goal uniting us, we would surely fail. Having that support and shared vision of those around us would prove vital in the following year, our third year and for most, our last year together.

The change in the level of focus of the third years was noticeable from the onset. A renewed vigour possessed us all and we were determined to make 2011 our best year. We had carefully chosen those we wished to work with and we were prepared for anything AFDA could throw at us: discipline assignments, Core Course, treatments, you name it we did it! Eventually. This was the first time our shoots ran over more than one day… legally… and also the first time we had no choice but to let the public see our work at the AFDA film festivals so we were determined to make them great.

The experimental projects were first up and we revelled in the creative freedom we had. For the first time in our AFDA careers, the film didn’t have to make sense because as we so often said to justify whatever we wanted to do “anything goes, it’s experimental!” That became one of our favoured sayings along with the ever popular, “Let’s just wing it!” and “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it in post!” Have you ever noticed how more often than not, it’s the non-post production people who say that? Anyway.

Following the highly successful yet still very stressful experimental projects, came our graduation films: 12 minute mainstream movies shot over 5 days. Unfortunately our favourite phrase could no longer be used as these movies had to make sense. Trying to get out of the experimental frame of mind proved difficult though as several screenwriters ran face first into the dreaded writer’s block and spent weeks in creative turmoil, changing concepts in every which way, driving the producers mad no doubt and never settling for anything less than the best that they could do. Those people know who they are and in the end, their crews thanked them for never settling for less and undoubtedly the audiences thanked them too for presenting films that were thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking and memorable.

With both the experimental project and the graduation film, it was quite interesting to note the progression of moods and personal hygiene on each day of shoot. On day one, everyone’s bright-eyed and bushy-tailed having had a good night’s rest and a hot shower. By day two, after a long day or night or both the previous day, the cheerful demeanour of our ever-eager first year assistants had dropped significantly as had the overall personal hygiene levels. By day three four and five, I think people were beyond caring what they looked or smelt like because we were all exhausted and gatvol and tempers were flaring, arguments were had over the smallest of things and no amount of nicotine, caffeine or Rescue could solve the problem… and there was still another however many more hours ahead of us. By that point of our studies, our parent’s had forgotten what we look like and were probably considering renting out our rooms.

The life of a filmmaker is never easy. Our family and friends often don’t understand why we do what we do. They’ll ask us why we put ourselves through all that just for a film. And most of our immediate answers will be, “Because we love what we do and we can’t see ourselves doing anything else.” We put our hearts into one single thing just to see it come to life annd when we sat in all those screenings throughout the three years and all eyes were on our creation, those were the most nerve-wracking 5 or 10 or 12 minutes of our lives. And the thing that makes it all worth it, every single time, is the sound of an appreciative audience.

What we’ve experienced in these three years and what some of you will continue to experience this year is only a taste of things to come. There will be times when we believe we cannot do it anymore. Everyone around us will say, stop wasting your time, it’s not worth it, you’re not good enough. If every single human being listened each time they were told they weren’t good enough, nothing extraordinary would happen. Extraordinary things are hardly ever the work of geniuses or prodigies. Extraordinary things are done by ordinary people who weren’t afraid to fail and who weren’t afraid to hold onto what they believed in. We are all ordinary people with unlimited potential. Just imagine what we could do.

In closing I would like to say that I firmly believe it is the people who make the place and without every single, wonderful person seated before me, AFDA would not be what it is. On behalf of all the students graduating today, I would like to thank the lecturers and staff of AFDA for guiding us through these three years. Your insight, encouragement and perseverance have proved invaluable and we will be forever grateful for the time you spent shaping us into the filmmakers we are today.

I would also like to thank our families, friends and significant others for supporting us through every meltdown, every late night and for sitting through every little piece of drama we brought home each day. You kept us going and kept us sane. Thank you.

And to the 3rd years: you guys are some of the strangest, most unstable, most incredibly talented and awesome people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and I want to thank each and every single one of you for making the past three years what they were. I wish all of you the very best in whatever you decide to do with your lives, learn from every experience, every person you meet and make the most of every opportunity. And “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door”.

AFDA Alumni won 9 of the prestigious awards at SAFTAS held at The Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg on the Friday and Saturday night 9-10th March 2012 of 35 nominations list.

Best Documentary Cinematographer:
Ryley Grunenwald – The Dawn of A new Day
 
Best Director in a Documentary:
Ryley Grunenwald – The Dawn of a new Day 
 
Best Director on a TV Drama Series:
Sokhulu & Partners – Natalie Haarhof
 
Best Actor in a TV Drama Series:
Intersexions – Thato Moraka as “Tshepo”
Intersexions – Katlego Ramapakela as “Thami”
Intersexions – Siyabonga Radebe as “Muzi”
 
Best Supporting Actor in a TV Drama Series
Sokhulo & Partners – Motlatsi Mafapshe as “Litha Zwane”
 
Best Actress in a TV drama Series:
Fallen – Lindiwe Ntuli as  ” Mbali”
 
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama Series:
Fallen – Xolile Tshabalala as “Mandi”
Intersexions – Nolwazi Shange as “Ntombi”
Sokhulo $ Partners – Harriet Manamela as “Ntombi Ntshebe”
 
Best DOP/ Cinematographer in a TV Drama Series
Intersexions (EP20) – Trevor Calverley
Intersexions (EP8)- Trevor Calverley
Intersexions (EP4)- Trevor Calverley
Sokhulu & Partners – Greg Heiman
 
Best Editor on a TV Drama Series
Intersexions (EP4) Melanie Golden
Intersexions (EP8) Melanie Golden
Intersexions (EP20) Melanie Golden
 
Best production Design in A TV Drama Series
Intersexions – Marna Heunis
 
Best Costume design in a TV Drama Series:
Zone 14 – Nadia Kruger
 
Best Make Up & Hair Stylist in a TV Drama Series:
Sokhulu & partners – Evelyn Gamble
 
Best Director on a TV Soap:
Scandel – heleni Handt
 
Best actor in a TV Soap:
Rhythm City – Mduduze Mabaso as “Suffocate”
 
Best Actors in a TV Comedy:
Ga Re Dumele – Obed Baloyi as “Tsutsuma”
 
Best Art Direction on a TV Comedy:
Gauteng Maboneng – Martha Sibanyoni
Ga RE Dumele – Martha Sibanyoni
 
Best Writing team on A TV Comedy:
Gauteng Maboneng – luke rous
 
Best TV Comedy:
Ga Re Dumele – Rous House productions & 24 Hours productions
 
Best Student Film:
Umkhumbi Wethu – Our Ship AFDA
 
Best short Film:
Bomlambo: Those of the Water – AFDA
 
Best Supporting Actor:
State of Violence- Motlatse Mafatshe as “ChappieS”
State of Violence – Neo Ntlatleng as “OJ”
 
Best Cinematography:
Night Drive- Trevor Calverley
 
Best Editor in a Feature Film:
Roepman – CA van Aswegen
 
Best Production Desighner:
Roepman – Waldemar Coetsee
 
Best Feature Film:
Roepman – The Film Factory

AFDA Cape Town First Year Stage students will be showcasing some of their work for the AFDA community this Friday. They have worked with the Third Year Screen Acting students to stage and organize this event. This will be a good opportunity for you to get a sense of the actors right at the start of their journey through AFDA.

Date: Friday 16 March
Time: 12h30 to 13h30
Venue: AFDA Theatre

AFDA Johannesburg 3rd year graduate short film Electricity recently won the best Student Short Film category at the inaugural Jozi Film Festival. 

“The biggest challenge while making e-lectricity was using the dark, poverty situations in townships and turning it into a colorful fantasy world, where anything could happen. The ability to dream and make it a reality is what made it so enjoyable.” - Miklas Manneke (Director)