Robert here! Nothing excites me more than when a movie that is not from one of the juggernaut film producing countries (the US, UK, France, South Korea, etc.) causes a commotion on the international scene. Today we have a trailer for an upcoming South African historic drama Krotoa, which tells the true story of a Khoi woman who became an influential translator during the founding of the Cape Colony. The film has been making waves on the festival circuit, and now we have a trailer. It's below and more info after the jump:
The trailer looks to be a feast for the eyes with some gorgeously moody Dutch inspired cinematography, as well as a showcase for Crystal-Donna Roberts in the title role. I very much appreciate that the film does not appear to be shying away at all from the complicated nature of the story. From what I've read, Krotoa is somewhat of a Pocahontas figure in South Africa, a woman who brought two cultures together, who is either revered or reviled depending on what version of the story one hears.
Krotoa comes to us from a female director – veteran of South African TV Roberta Durrant – and two female writers. In addition to the complicated racial elements of the story, gender and power dynamics play a huge role, so I'm glad to see women at the helm to untangle.
While South Africa has a fairly healthy film and TV industry, it's rare that their movies make a splash on the world scene. Obviously District 9 was a huge hit, and before that Tsotsi won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. I'd love to see this female driven film put the country on the map once again.
Did you like the trailer? Do you think the movie will break out internationally? Any South African readers care to chime in?