“I dreamed the impossible dream. Deep inside my heart I knew that Skollie is going to make an impact! When I was 70 years old I was blessed with a replica of the OSCAR which takes centre stage on my desk. I manifested this!” John W Fredericks - Scriptwriter of Noem My Skollie on whose life the film is based.
Holding the genuine statuette in his hands has now become a distinct possibility.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) announced yesterday that the feature film, Noem My Skollie, currently on circuit in South African cinemas has been nominated as South Africa's official selection to the 89th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) in the category for Best Foreign Language Film Award.
This is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement for Daryne Joshua's first feature film.
"The sheer amount of love Skollie is receiving by audiences around the country continues to surprise us. We are overwhelmed by the honour of representing our country. Is met 'n salute ja!" Daryne Joshua (Director)
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is handed out annually by the US-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States of America with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
The NFVF selection is the first step towards a final Academy Award Nomination by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Not since Gavin Hood's Tsotsi, which won in the same category at the 78th Academy Awards in 2005, has a film so captivated the imaginations of South Africans and caused so much excitement.
The NFVF CEO Zama Mkosi said: "We are proud that after a rigorous judging process, Noem My Skollie, is nominated as the official selection for the 89th Annual Academy Awards. This is indicative of the role that the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) plays in empowering, and transforming the film industry by taking South African stories from our streets to the world."
The first thing that went through our minds here at BruinouHQ when the news of the NFVF selection was announced is that this should certainly increase the demand for more people to see this remarkable film and that hopefully the distributor Ster Kinekor will see it as reason enough to get the film into more theatres across the whole of South Africa.
To date the film has been seen by over 32 000 people in South Africa.
“Noem My Skollie’s great Box Office performance has now been crowned with the nomination as South Africa’s entry into the Oscars, we are extremely proud to have been part of getting this amazing film on to SA screens and are excited about the continued potential in our market and on the global stage”, says Mario Dos Santos, Chief Executive Officer - Ster Kinekor Entertainment.
“What makes it even more special, is that this moving film is the work of a first time director and that the story is rooted in the true-life experiences of the screenwriter. It’s a film the world needs to see.” says Jan du Plessis, Director: M-Net Channels.
"The greatest affirmation an artist can get is from their own tribe. We are ecstatic to have this affirmation!” Moshidi Motshegwa (Producer)
“If you took films such as Shawshank Redemption, Tsotsi and City of God and rolled them into one movie that would best describe Noem My Skollie in terms of the cinematic quality and great night out”. David Max Brown (Producer)
We at BruinouHQ want to congratulate the entire Noem My Skolie team on the selection and wish you all Best of Luck for the next stage of the 2017 Academy Awards selection process.
Let us all continue supporting this film at the box office as well as everything else coming out of our growing film industry.
We are so immensely blessed with talent from within our communities and if our film industry can grow with our support, the many supporting industries around it can also grow.
It is job creation beyond just what the actors and producers get paid and it all starts with us paying for the privilege to see their work.
So los net 'seblief vi' once daai pirate gedagtes kanala en koep daai tickets om ons eie mense se talents te support.
WATCH: Noem My Skollie Official Trailer on Youtube
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