Director Jordy Sank and producers Gabriella Blumberg and Samantha Pelteret bagged three awards for Best Short Film, Audience Choice and Best Script for their film “Leemtes en Leegheid” at the recent kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival in Cape Town.
Their win follows hot on the heels of Sank and Blumberg’s debut award-winning feature “I am Here”, a documentary about one of the last living Holocaust survivors, which recently played in over 85 theatres across America and won Best South African Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
“Leemtes en Leegheid” is a poignant film about Magdaleen, a recluse in her eighties who numbs the pain of losing her husband by envisioning him beside her. After being locked away with the memory of him in her apartment, she desperately attempts to venture into the outside world again and to the sea she so longs for.
Produced by Sanktuary Films, with a screenplay by Jordy Sank, and Terence Makapan, the film features veteran actors of stage and screen, Lida Botha, Johan Botha and Ivan Abrahams. Lida and Johan, who have been married for over 50 years, intimately portrayed their love on screen.
Producer Gabriella Blumberg said: “We have seen how this story of grief and isolation has resonated so widely, and we hope it brings comfort and closure to those who watch it. We are honoured that the film has received such high recognition at Silwerskermfees and we hope it travels to audiences around the world,” she said.
Director Jordy Sank said: “It is an intimate film that explores what happens when we have to learn to live without those we love so dearly.
“Winning the Audience Choice, Best Short Film and Best Script Awards at Silwerskermfees shows how deeply the themes and characters within the film are able to penetrate the hearts of those who watch it,” he said.
“Leemtes en Leegheid” will be coming to Showmax soon.