HEY, BOY

SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER AT 5:40PM UGC SHAFTESBURY AVE SCREEN 2

Country South Africa Running Time 90 mins Format DV Director Andr» Odendaal Prod Brendan Pollecutt S'play Justin Cohen, Brendan Pollecut DoP Eran Tamor Cast Brendan Pollecutt, Justin Cohen, Lorila Cooper Print Source Howard Sacks E polly@ican.co.za

When I set out to find South African films for this year's festival I wasn't expecting any thing like this film. It's a less serious South African film, but who says all South African cinema has to be serious and political. It's a coming of age story focussing on two university graduates in Johannesburg; their sex lives and their egos. This low concept film doesn't try too hard to ram political issues down your throat, instead Hey, Boy is a light hearted and frivolous look at youth culture in South Africa, which touches upon more recent socio-political issues. The cast is mostly taken from popular South African television drama and soap operas, and this is reflected in the slightly slapstick comedy performances and a few inside jokes. Director Andr» Odendaal also comes to us straight from an illustrious career in TV sitcom. It was shot on Digibeta, which works perfectly for a small budget characterbased film. Those familiar with South African culture will particularly enjoy the common dialogue and idiom. TR

Andre Odendaal was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1961. He studied Arts at the University of Pretoria. He later joined The Arts Council as a professional actor. His acting career spans over 18 years including 45 stage productions, also performing in film and television he won three major awards for acting. In 1999 he turned his hand to directing. He has now directed over 122 sitcom episodes and won a best directing award. Hey, Boy is his first feature film.