Locally made and produced film ‘Ayanda’, which premiered in Los Angeles in June, has been picked up for distribution in the US by American director, screenwriter, film marketer, and film distributor Ava DuVernay.
“Ava DuVernay has long been a promoter and distributor of black independent films,” says actress and producer Terry Pheto, who co-produced Ayanda. “DuVernay herself recognizes this and is proving to be a force to help bring about needed change. She is not only a savvy film marketer and acclaimed director, but also a black woman entrepreneur who is deeply committed to increasing the representation of black people on the big screen.”
Ayanda, the latest film by award-winning director Sara Blecher, is a tale of love, friendship and growth in contemporary South Africa. It opens nationwide in local cinemas on 2 October 2015, and is set for release in the US shortly after, in mid-November.
The film tells the story of a single-minded 21-year-old Afro-hipster Ayanda (Fulu Mugovhani), who has a talent for taking neglected pieces of furniture and “bringing them back to love”. Eight years after her father’s death, his prized auto repair garage is in deep debt and in danger of being sold, but Ayanda does everything in her power to hold onto his legacy.
The film also stars Nigerian actor OC Ukeje – winner of the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award for Best Actor, Jafta Mamabolo, Nthati Moshesh, Kenneth Nkosi, Sihle Xaba and Vanessa Cooke.
Ayanda was produced by Real Eyes Films and Terry Pheto’s Leading Lady Productions, with the support of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), Africa Magic and the South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). It will be distributed in South Africa by Helen Kuun of Indigenous Film Distribution.
