She was enthusiastic and determined to make this dream a reality.
As the years went by, the memories of the encounter with Brits faded because, as with many things in life, the pursuit of a dream is not always possible in practice. However, Brits did not lose sight of her vision, and the Latin proverb – “Aut invenian viam aut vaciam” (I’ll either find a way or make one) – has become embedded in her soul throughout the years.
On April 27, the shooting of Ngwenyama’s Tears, meaning “The King’s Tears”, began in earnest – and on an almost non-existent budget.
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Apart from the two lead characters from Gauteng, all the other actors, mostly children, are local. The motivation behind this was, according to Brits, to afford these aspirant actors some time in the spotlight, as well as to inspire and coach local children.
It is a children’s adventure film, in English and Swazi, about four kids, who come to the realisation that a song sung by their nanny is not a myth but, in fact, the truth.
The foursome then embark on a wonderful adventure in which they have to solve numerous clues and, in the end, after learning many lessons, save their school from closing down.
“About three years ago, while doing a lot of travelling, my son and I discussed the fact that there weren’t any local English movies that could compare to internationally acclaimed movies such as Jumanji and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Although we do not have access to such huge budgets, we have so much history and so many stories to tell. That was when we decided to bring a Swazi flavour to this movie that tells an authentic African story. I believe strongly we need to introduce local kids to the big screen, as we only have adult superstars in this country,” said Brits.
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Shooting is progressing well, but a lot of work still needs to be done before Ngwenyama’s Tears can be wrapped up. This includes animation, which comprises about 25 per cent of the film.
“The combination of real life and animation is also a first for the South African movie scene. We would definitely like to take Ngwenyama’s Tears to the international screen,” Brits concluded.
A sequel is also being planned for the future. She explains, “Once you’ve seen the movie, you will understand why a sequel is necessary.
“The setting for the next film would be much more rural – in Swaziland hopefully – and it would probe deeper into the Swazi culture.”
In the meantime, Barbertonians have become used to the shooting of scenes for the film at different venues in town.
Brits said that, if it was not for awesome friends, none of this would have been possible.
Barberton Times wishes Brits and the crew all of the best with this last stretch of filming. We can hardly wait for the end result!
