“Sarafina”, one of the most iconic films to come out of South Africa, recently enjoyed a five-minute standing ovation by viewers after being chosen to screen at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.
The film formed part of the Cannes Classics Official Selection and was subsequently acquired for international sales by French media and entertainment giant, TF1 Studio, a Newen Studios subsidiary.
Produced by Anant Singh’s Video Vision in 1992 and directed by Darrel James Roodt, “Sarafina!” made its debut at the same festival 31 years ago and received an astounding 20- minute standing ovation.
It tells the story of a protest against making Afrikaans an official school language and stars a young Leleti Khumalo, Whoopi Goldberg, Miriam Makeba, Mbongeni Ngema, John Kani and Somizi Mhlongo with the screenplay by Mbongeni Ngema and William Nicholson.
Singh said: “Today, there are many opportunities to release the film including in IMAX, and also with students and schools, which gives us access to a whole new generation of audiences.
“TF1/Newen Studios are equally passionate about the film, and we look forward to working with them on theatrical and other media, and to generating revenue and viewership across the territories of the world.”
Nathalie Toulza-Madar, TF1 Studio CEO added that the outstanding beauty of the film and the values it promotes will enchant new audiences, especially young ones.
“The glorious return of this great film to Cannes is the beginning of a wonderful adventure. The expertise of Newen Connect's distribution team will be a precious asset to accompany buyers all over the world.”
Singh and the multi-award winning actress, Khumalo, attended the screening on May 21, where the film received a five-minute standing ovation.
“It was wonderful presenting ‘Sarafina!’ together with Leleti in Cannes 31 years after its first screening.
“The audience included people who were at the screening in 1992, but I was delighted by the reaction of people who saw the film for the first time and were visibly moved.
“It’s a testament to our film, and the many creative partnerships involved, that it engages a younger audience more than three decades later,” shared Singh.
The annual festival started on Tuesday, May 16, and runs until Saturday, May 27.