Gangster Project
Teboho Edkins – ZA/DE 2011 – 55 min.
Sc: François-Xavier Drouet – C: Tom Akinleminu – S: Thabo Singine, Laura Schnurre – E: Rune Schweitzer – P: dffb
DVCam, HDV – English, Afrikaans
In Cape Town, no need for a actors, says the apprentice filmmaker, they're a dime a dozen, you should just need a good casting. And here he is accompanied by his sound engineer looking for their actors. From meetings in remote areas on the outskirts of the city, with a disturbing reputation, in nocturnal car rides in red-light districts, the filmmaker imitates Hollywood legends in order to try to enlist them. But little by little the images disintegrate. Stories of some in prison, others who remember a murdered friend. Fear, mourning, boredom and petty dealings are a distant cry from the expected flamboyant figures. Behind the myths, everyday realities turn out to be trivial. What to do? To link together the two will be the daring response: mixing acted scenes with documentary shots, without it being too obvious, since here posturing is acceptable. In the end, no "film", just assembled moments, in project form, that must be left as is, with no dramatic conclusion. – Nicolas Feodoroff
Teboho Edkins, born in the USA in 1980. He grew up mainly in Southern Africa, but now lives in Berlin. He studied Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, followed by a 2-year post-graduate residency at le Fresnoy in France and then a post-graduate film directing programme at the dffb film academy in Berlin.
Films (selection): Ask Me I'm Positive 2004 – True Love 2005 – Thato 2011 – Gangster Project 2011