Kriel’s movie career on a roll
Empangenis Wayne Kriel is making waves in the film industry both nationally and internationally.
ZULULANDER Wayne Kriel is on the way to rubbing shoulders with Hollywoods’ A-list after his movie, ‘Die Windpomp’, received national and international acclaim.
Kriel, under the guidance of US producer, Chris Rowland of ‘Stander’ and ‘Hotel Rwanda’ fame, helped produce ‘Die Windpomp’ from pre-production all the way through to post-production, managing a cast of 300 people.
The film was selected to participate in the Australian Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) which premiered in April, alongside films such as Wes Anderson’s ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, where it received rave reviews.
‘Die Windpomp’ was not submitted to the GCFF for consideration. The festival director heard about the film and after viewing the trailer, requested the movie.
Kriel, who started his schooling career at Felixton College and completed it at Hilton College, moved to Stellenbosch where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Law. However, as a child, Kriel always preferred drawing storyboards in his room.
‘I enjoyed Law, but I knew it was not where my heart really was,’ Kriel said.
‘So I went to my father and told him I wanted to go to film school and follow my heart.
‘I was rather nervous at the time, but my dad was amazing. He knew I was passionate about film production and also knew that if one follows one’s dream, only good things can come to you.’
After applying and being accepted at the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance School (AFDA), Kriels’ film career soared with a number of self-produced TV advertisements and other features under his belt.
Film festivals
It was in his third year at AFDA that Kriel was first noticed by Rowlands’ company, ZenHQ Films, and when Rowland showed interest in producing ‘Die Windpomp’, Kriel was quite willing to assist him.
For Rowland, this was his first Afrikaans film and the two worked hand-in-hand to produce the internationally renowned hit.
The film has also being submitted to several film festivals as part of its international marketing strategy, including the Cannes Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival in France and Canada respectively.
Now the sky is the limit. Kriel is currently in talks with Top Billing presenter, Jeannie D, with the aim of creating his own production company focusing specifically on digital media with the aim of keeping South African filming and production on the map.
