''Otelo Burning'' is a 2011 South African

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed and produced by

Sara Blecher Sara Blecher (born Gauteng) is a South African director and producer. Biography Originally from South Africa, Blecher's family moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1981, when she was 12 years old. Her family is originally of Jewish Lithuanian origin ...

. The screenplay was written by James Whyle, Sara Blecher and The Cast Workshop. The film is in Zulu with English subtitles. It stars Jafta Mamabolo (''Generations''), Thomas Gumede (''A Place Called Home''), and Tshepang Mohlomi (''Izulu Lami'').

Plot

It is 1989, and the struggle against

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

has reached its peak. The story starts when 16-year-old Otelo Buthelezi, his younger brother, Ntwe, and his best friend, New Year, are invited to the beach house where their new friend's mother is a domestic worker. Watching Mandla Modise surf, they are taken into a world previously closed to them. It is exactly the opposite of the township where they live – a place under a constant and growing threat from political violence fuelled by Inkatha hostel dwellers on one side, and United Democratic Front comrades on the other. For the boys, who previously had a deep-seated fear of the sea, "flying on water" comes to represent freedom, and they are sold. Soon, everyone recognises that Otelo is truly gifted on the water, a surfing star in the making. An older white man, Kurt Struely, approaches the boys, certain of their potential. He invites them to his home to watch some professional surfers on video. He also paints an enticing picture of the life they could have if they learn to master the waves. With practice, Otelo soon outshines his friend, Mandla, whose resentment builds even more when Dezi, New Year's younger sister, falls for Otelo. As the boys begin to win competitions, Mandla's jealousy grows and eventually he betrays his friend. In exchange for money for a new surfboard, he sells Otelo's brother out as a suspected informer for the apartheid security police. When Otelo discovers the truth behind his younger brother's death, he has to make a choice between the money, glamour, girls and superstardom of international surfing and justice for Ntwe. On the day

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

steps out of prison for the first time in 27 years, the young boy makes a choice that will change his life.

Cast

The cast is mostly made up of young up-and-coming actors who were integrally involved in the world of the story. * Jafta Mamabolo as Otelo * Thomas Gumede as New Year * Sihle Xaba as Mandla Modise * Tshepang Mohlomi as Ntwe * Nolwazi Shange as Dezi *

Kenneth Nkosi Kenneth Nkosi (born 19 June 1973) is a South African actor and comedian. He portrayed Aap in the 2005 film ''Tsotsi'' (2005). He also appeared in the films ''White Wedding'' (2009) and '' Otelo Burning'' (2011), as well as '' Mad Buddies'' (20 ...

as Oscar Buthelezi * Harriet Manamela as Mother Christmas * Hamilton Dhlamini as Skhumbuzo * Motlatsi Mafatsche as Blade

Production

The film was in development for over seven years and came out of an extensive workshop process conducted with a group of children in Lamontville, near

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

Filming

Much of the film was shot handheld on location in the South African province of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

. Most of the film was shot on a

RED Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

camera, provided by

Panavision Panavision Inc. is an American motion picture equipment company (law), company founded in 1954 specializing in cameras and photographic lens, lenses, based in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk a ...

. The surf scenes were filmed on a

Canon 5D The Canon EOS 5D is a 12.7 megapixel digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera body produced by Canon. The EOS 5D was announced by Canon on 22 August 2005, and at the time was priced above the EOS 20D but below the EOS-1D Mark II and EOS-1Ds ...

by Fixer Films from

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

Music

The film's original score was composed by Alan Lazar and Tiago Correia-Paulo. The following songs also appeared in the film: * ''Induna (The Headman)'' - Shiyani Ngcobo * ''March in the Line'' - Casino * ''Mkhozi'' - Monwa & Sun * ''All Night Jive'' - Zone 3 * ''Reggae Vibes is Cool'' - James Phillips * ''Ezweni Elihle-Hle'' - Masibuyele Kujehova * ''Zulu'' * ''Straight Forward'' - The Big Red One * ''Hold On'' - Modern English * ''Thugs'' - The Dynamics * ''Hoi Chaklas'' - Mr. Chacklas * ''Dangerous'' - MM Deluxe * ''Who's Worried'' - The Dynamics * ''My Dreams Won't Wait'' - Zaki Ibrahim * ''Sunshine'' - Zaki Ibrahim * ''Cold World'' - Tumi and Andreena Mill

Reception

The project was taken to the No Borders IFP in New York in September 2009, and was chosen for the IFP Independent Film Narrative Labs in 2011. ''Otelo Burning'' was the opening film for the 32nd

Durban International Film Festival The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. It was founded in 1979 by Teddy Sarkin and Ros Sarkin. Presented by Centre for Creative Arts at the Univ ...

Awards

The film won the awards of Best Dramatic feature and Surfing movie at the 2013

Byron Bay International Film Festival The Byron Bay Film Festival (BBFF) is a popular AACTA Awards accredited independent awards-based film event held in the late Australian summer at the Palace Cinemas, in the coastal town of Byron BayBrunswick Picture Housein Brunswick Heads and ...

References

External links

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''Otelo Burning''
a
Nu Metro
{{Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Cinematography South African drama films 2011 films Best Cinematography Africa Movie Academy Award winners AMVCA Best Overall Film winners Films scored by Alan Lazar 2010s South African films