Production of movie is halted for now
"This delay had a knock-on effect," Van der Merwe said.
MBOMBELA – The much-anticipated film about rhino poaching, set to be shot in and around the city and White River, has been postponed indefinitely due to an array of obstacles.
The film’s producer, Mr Tonie van der Merwe, explained that production on Rhino Wars had been halted due to the unavailability of actors, crew illnesses and a lack of funds.
Production was set to start at the end of May, but this date had to be postponed because of the slow approval process by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to start filming.
“This delay had a knock-on effect,” Van der Merwe said.
“The new production date did not suite the schedule of a few of the actors. Some of the crew members also contracted illnesses so we had to plan around them.”
The supplier of the weapons, as well as a special licence to use weapons for filming, might also not be available, but according to Van der Merwe this was a minor issue. “We only need the weapons for a few days and our supplier will probably send his assistant to help us out.”
Apart from the logistic issues, the film’s budget has also been a pivotal point of concern. Van der Merwe has asked a few local residents for sponsorships in order to raise the outstanding R900 000.
“We have applied for milestone pay-ments from the DTI, which means we get paid as we continue to reach certain production milestones, but we will only hear if our application has been approved some time next week,” he said. Van der Merwe predicts that production will commence in Cape Town on August 7, after which it will move to the Lowveld for five weeks.
