American-born Kelsey Egan, who directs “The Fix”, was determined to showcase South African talent in the sci-fi horror.
The local movie, which premiered on Showmax as part of its Halloween offerings, features a range of top homegrown talents alongside US and British stars.
The star-studded cast includes Keenan Arrison, Nicole Fortuin, Tafara Nyatsanza, Caleb Payne, Robyn Rossouw and Tina Redman.
They are joined by Grace van Dien in the lead role,Daniel Sharman and Clancy Brown .
Shot in Cape Town, the production is set in a dystopian future with toxic air. It sees model Ella (Van Dien), who after an emotional breakdown, takes a new designer drug at a party and suffers a shocking transformation.
Pursued by forces with competing interests in the substance’s effects, she discovers that her mutations could save the human race.
Meanwhile, Egan, who has lived in South Africa since 2007 and recently received a UK Global Talent visa to work there as well, said she was intent on using the film to highlight the talent in the country.
“The passion and the goal behind the film from the beginning was to create a project that could enable South African talent to showcase what they can do in the international market,” she explained.
“I firmly believe that South African talents, which includes the crew and cast, know how to deliver for an international market. They have the skill set but need to sort of prove it and prove that original content can be developed in South Africa and can be commercially viable overseas to attract more money into the country in order to build a sustainable industry.”
She added: “We wanted to give opportunities to South African talent to shine side by side with international talent, rather than being in a position where they needed to either play American or British characters.”
On working with such a stellar cast and crew, the director described the process as “absolutely priceless.”
“It takes a village and the film shines thanks to the talent and dedication of everyone willing to put in that extra mile.”
She also explained that the movie has many themes that viewers will be able to resonate with.
Egan said that the first is “the extent to which outside perceptions and assumptions can impact one’s own sense of self, and in turn, how one engages with the world.”
“Our self-image is informed by how we are treated by others and the way we are perceived can influence how we engage with the world.”
“‘The Fix’ explores this dichotomy between identity and perception and I wanted to explore the dangers of preconceptions within the context of a dystopian thrill ride.”
Meanwhile, Egan, who wrote the first draft of “The Fix” in 2013, insists that while the movie does portray a global health crisis, it is not in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This was a project that we were actively trying to finance and package for over a decade.”
“I spent from 2015 to 2019 pushing really hard and there were many reasons that it was met with opposition. We almost went into production in 2019 and it would be getting delivered by early 2021 if we shot when we originally thought we were going to.”
Egan explained that she wrote the script because she “felt it was worth making.”
“I knew it was something that I would want to watch and I hoped it could also achieve something meaningful for the local industry.”
Following all the setbacks that Egan and her team faced with the movie, she said that she is now “extremely grateful.”
“We overcame so many hurdles and setbacks during the years. I know how easily it could have never been made and I’m very, very grateful it did.”
Egan has had a successful career as a film-maker, with her debut feature, “Glasshouse”, having earned rave reviews globally after its debut at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. It was also the most-awarded film at the 2022 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs).
However, she believes that working on “The Fix” has been different to anything else she has worked on in her career so far.
“It was by far the most ambitious I’ve ever attempted.”
The movie was the opening night film at MIPAfrica in Cape Town last month.
It was also the closing night film at the Chattanooga Film Festival in the US, where it won the Dangerous Visions Award.
In addition, Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, will be releasing the South African film in the US, Canada and select international territories on November 22.