Afrikaans film gets Aussie audience

“Die Windpomp is wonderfully written and incredibly touching,” says Mitch Ziems, programme director of the festival. “There is a large Afrikaans community in Australia, and Die Windpomp is the perfect fit. We are thrilled to have the film in this year’s lineup.”

In a surprise twist, and to the film’s credit, Die Windpomp was not submitted to the festival for consideration. The festival director heard about the film and, after viewing the trailer, requested it.

“It doesn’t happen often that a festival calls a producer and requests a film,” says the film’s producer Chris Roland.

“We usually submit films to festivals along with thousands of other submissions and hope we get noticed. It’s fantastic when we get asked.

“Reviewers in Australia are calling Die Windpomp ‘poignant’, and have rated it with a $16 ticket price, using a rating system that determines how much they would pay to see a film from $1 to $20,” says Roland.

“That equates to about R150 – impressive when you consider the average ticket in South Africa is R55!”

The film is being submitted to several film festivals as part of its international marketing strategy including the Cannes and Toronto International Film Festivals in France and Canada.

Written and directed by Etienne Fourie, Die Windpomp revolves around a summer romance between Hendri and Margot, two young people living in a retirement village.