A local short film about homeless people has been nominated for a prestigious award in the United States.
The writer of the film, Lester Walbrugh, and director Earl Kopeledi recently travelled to Miami where their film was screened at the Urban Film Festival.
The Afrikaans-language film is an adaptation of Walbrugh’s short story, Homeful, from his collection of short stories published by Karavan Press
Held over America’s Labor Day weekend of 30 August to 1 September, the Urban Film Festival celebrated culturally-driven content and is a platform for up-and-coming urban filmmakers to share stories from their communities.
‘A Home Is Not a House’ stars local actors Liande Valentyn, Curtley Pitt and Dustin Beck as three homeless friends.
The movie will also be screened as one of only 22 short films from across the world at the International Black Film Festival in Nashville, Tennessee next month.
Earl said the movie was not yet been released to the public, but that they hoped to find a reputable streaming site or local channel to distribute their fliek.
Earl says: “We entered the film to a few festivals and got selected to screen at these two festivals that promote and highlight the work of people of colour internationally.”
Lester says: “I am honoured that our project has found a way to cross borders. Now it needs to find a way home.”
The filmmakers were blown away by the similarities in the stories on show.
“Our narratives have a lot more in common than what the world wants us to know,” says Earl, who also wrote and directed the award-winning 2 Thirds of a Man, released in 2022.
“Celebrating the two worlds that make up Cape Town, ‘A Home Is Not A House‘ follows three homeless people tasked to retrieve a hard drive from a beachside bungalow. They decide to spend a couple of nights in relative luxury.
“Simmering animosity between Lappies and Charles leads to a confrontation, which pricks open boils of colourism, privilege, social hierarchy and the question of ethics.”
Earl, 50, from Gardens, said most of the film was shot on the streets of Cape Town.
Earl says: “We filmed in three days, in Roeland Street and Scarborough. ‘A Home Is Not A House’ reflects the story of three homeless friends.
“We wanted to reflect the story in an authentic way and the Gardens area is home to a big number of destitute individuals. The backdrop of the iconic St Mary’s Cathedral seemed the perfect fit from a cinematic point of view.
“A lot of the homeless people approached us and were keen to understand more. The crew and staff shared food with the bystanders and we had quite a few laughs as one homeless guy shouted ‘cut’ mid-scene during a few takes.”
venecia.america@inl.co.za