Tsotsi 
| Directed by: | Gavin Hood |
|---|---|
| Country: | South Africa |
| Created: | 2005 |
| Runtime: | 94 min. |
| Member: | peter_fudakowski |
Average rating: 4.75 by 4 users
Film Description:
Synopsis
Tsotsi n. thug, gangster, hoodlum Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto - where survival is the primary objective - TSOTSI traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking. TSOTSI is a gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme urban deprivation. His world pumps with the raw energy of 'Kwaito music' - the modern beat of the ghetto that reflects his troubled state of mind. The film is a psychological thriller in which the protagonist is compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions. It puts a human face on both the victims and the perpetrators of violent crime and is ultimately a story of hope and a triumph of love over rage. 'Tsotsi' literally means 'thug' or 'gangster' in the street language of South Africa's townships and ghettos. 'Kwaito' is South Africa's answer to American Hip Hop.
Screenings & Events
Edinburgh International Film Festival
United Kingdom
August 2005
Cast & Crew
Gavin Hood (Director), Peter Fudakowski (Producer)
After graduating with a degree in law in South Africa, Gavin worked briefly as an actor before heading to the US to study screenwriting and directing at the University of California in LA. Here, in 1993, he won a Diane Thomas Screenwriting Award for his first screenplay, A Reasonable Man. The script was inspired by a case of ritual murder. Judges included Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Kennedy. After completing his studies, Gavin returned to South Africa where he got his first writing and directing work making educational dramas for the new Department of Health which was just beginning to feel the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For his work in educational television, Gavin won one Artes Award (a South African Emmy) and was nominated for another. In 1998 Gavin made his 35mm film directing debut with a 22 minute short called The Storekeeper. The film went on to win thirteen international film festival awards including the Grand Prize at the Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia, which qualified the film for Academy Award consideration in 1998.
The Storekeeper paved the way for Gavin's low budget feature debut, A Reasonable Man, which he wrote, directed, co-produced (with Paul Raleigh) and starred in opposite Academy Award nominee Sir Nigel Hawthorne. At the All Africa Film Awards in 2001, Gavin won Best Actor, Best Screenwriter and Best Director. At the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, Gavin was named by Variety as one of their “Ten Directors To Watch.”
In 2001, Gavin was hired to adapt and direct an epic children’s African
adventure story based on a novel, In Desert and Wilderness, by Polish Nobel prize-winning author, Henryk Sienkiewicz. One catch: though the film was set 19 in Africa where Gavin grew up, it had to be made in Polish. Grabbing a chance to shoot on Super 35mm Gavin took the job, working with a Polish translator. On release, the film became the highest grossing film in Poland for the year and won Best of the Fest at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival in 2002.
In 2003 Gavin was approached by UK based producer Peter Fudakowski to write a screenplay based on the novel Tsotsi by South Africa's most acclaimed playwright, Athol Fugard. The film was shot in South Africa in late 2004 and after winning at Edinburgh, Toronto and AFI is being released by Miramax at the end of February.
5 Comments about Tsotsi
Mar 07, 2006 04:26PM
Congratulations Gavin and Peter on the Academy Award - fantastic.
Mar 04, 2006 04:46AM
Great film and great acting by the lead... congrats for winning the best actor award in the Bangkok International Film Festival
Feb 24, 2006 07:01AM
This is an amazing movie, and everyone should see it. The acting is phenomenal, it's beatifully written and remarkab ly powerful. RUN, don't walk to check it out.
Feb 24, 2006 06:48AM
Hi Peter,
Nice to see you in Berlin and great to see you are using this.
Best wishes,
Mary Davies
Feb 11, 2006 05:04AM
PREVIEW
http://www.tsotsi.com/index.php?m1=trailer
Leave a comment about Tsotsi