Boxing film premieres in Hyde Park
HYDE PARK – Being surrounded by boxing gurus made it slightly easier for Knuckle City lead actor to bring his role to life.
Nu Metro Cinema in Hyde Park was lively as viewers made their way to watch the premiere of Knuckle City as well as meet the film’s cast. The film was courtesy of Indigenous Film Distribution and Yellowbone Entertainment.
According to producer and editor of the film, Layla Swart, the film is a milestone in South Africa’s trajectory because it is made by young black South Africans. “It is about young black South Africans and really unpicks the fight for survival in Mdantsane where it is set and which is the boxing mecca of the country. I really do hope that people go and watch this film and see themselves reflected in it and really take the time to enjoy what this country has to offer in terms of cinema and evolution of cinema,” said Swart.
Bongile Mantsai, who plays a leading role in the film, chatted about his character Dudu ‘Knight Rider’ Nyakama who is a professional boxer. Mantsai said Nyakama sought to save his family, which was going through tough times, through the sport that he loves.
According to Mantsai, the boxer is struggling to change the situation as well as the past as his father’s legacy keeps haunting him.
On his role, Mantsai said, “I always enjoy being challenged. I enjoy the fact that I am not a boxer but an actor but I ended up learning more about the sport. I had to train, I didn’t go on set and shoot the movie at that stage and become a boxer. It took me two months to learn the rules and I realised that boxing is a very demanding professional sport filled with discipline.”
He added that in as much as he is a community member, in this case, he really needed the community to guide him as he couldn’t pre-empt the role he was playing. “I relied a lot on people who know boxing and I also had the privilege of shooting the movie in Mdantsane where professional boxers were surrounding me. I could always ask, ‘am I still fine here?'” Mantsai said.
He added that another challenge was that they were shooting in a different environment. After being used to shooting on set, now shooting outdoors amongst community members who are part of the story made it hard to maintain focus.
Mantsai said, “While shooting the movie I lost my father; however, this gave me the strength to tell the story of a survivor. This is exactly what is happening in this movie, there is a ring, there is a fight, people want to survive.”
The film Knuckle City was released in cinemas on 28 February.
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