Tshwane producer’s movie soon to be streamed

Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt, the writer and director of a movie soon to be aired on Netflix, is proud of her roots in Ga-Rankuwa.

She has used her experience of living in Tshwane to produce a movie that portrays the capital city in all its “melting pot diversity”.

Said Moeti-Vogt: “People don’t realise how much Tshwane mirrors people and cultures in and around the capital city. So many different types of Tshwane residents have created a culture together and it is beautiful to see it in its unique form.”

The full-length film, Real Estate Sisters, will premiere on the streaming service on April 26.

It is the story of two broke, sassy sisters from Atteridgeville who run a struggling real estate agency but aspire to go from selling run-down apartments in shoddy parts of the city to high-end suburban homes.

Things start looking up when they are approached to sell a multi-million rand mansion in the exclusive suburb of Waterkloof, that is until they stumble upon a body in the basement.

Thrills, spills, and much hilarity follow as the sisters, determined not to lose this opportunity, must outwit scary underworld figures and keep a potential buyer on the hook.

To this former learner at Loreto Convent on Nana Sita Street, wit and understated comedy, such as that being used in the movie, are all about context.

“Context is important in comedy. It must be used to show something about the subject’s culture. In this case, it is the culture of the capital city. The producer needs to stay true to those elements and nuances. It is all about the authenticity and timing. Gags need to land at the right time,” she said.

Her fellow script writer is Zoe Ramushu.

The movie stars Gina Koffman and Leera Mthwethwa as the two sisters.

“We portray them as sassy. This is important in context because they are in their 20s and come with a certain kind of Atteridgeville confidence. Who they are is important to the story,” saidMoeti-Vogt.

The film is big and bold for the genre of mystery comedy.

Sisterhood is one aspect of the movie that Moeti-Vogt feels strongly about.

She spotlights this aspect of relationships in the movie.

“What we see here is that the two sisters stay together through thick and thin, even though they do not always agree or see eye to eye. They are critical of each other. When they are sitting in jail, for example their relationship starts to show some cracks because of the choices they make. I want to show sisterhood is not only about the highlights but also the honesty between women who are friends. They can collaborate as individuals even though they may want different things,” she said.

Moeti-Vogt, a former Tshwane University of Technology student and lecturer, said the the movie storyline came from an idea she had a few years ago.

“I was interested in out-of-the-box themes and topics. I asked myself what is the worst thing that can happen to a property agent? After that, it was a combination of ideas.”

Filming took place in and around Gauteng. In Tshwane, it was the zoo and the reception of the filming team there that she enjoyed.

Filming at the Union Buildings and driving scenes in Arcadia also was exciting.

“We had a good time and had support from the team at the university. It was great to be in the home city and to involve Tshwane residents,” she said.

Moeti-Vogt thanked the Garsfontein police station staff.

“The team there was so helpful,” she said.

She still has links with the university, as she holds an advisory role at the Faculty of Arts.

“I like aiming films at life in Tshwane. I think the city is underrepresented in mainstream media. There is a lot of dominance of Johannesburg as a city in the media. I want to bring to film lovers a part of the world with so much history. The outside world should know the people of Tshwane are so cool.”

Moeti-Vogti is positive about being in the limelight for a while for the film’s sake.

“What is important, is showing that even though you are from a supposedly disadvantaged background, the light inside of you can never dimmed by that factor and that you can bring joy, spunk, and happiness to the world.”

Click here to see a preview of the film:

 

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