Konfetti (2014) Production Notes

Jean and Sheryl are getting married. He is Afrikaans. She is Jewish. Their families are tense and Lukas – the best man - has been on a drinking spree and forgotten to confirm the band. In desperation he books the first available singer he can find – big mistake! Bianca is the bride’s old nemesis and Sheryl’s perfect wedding is quickly turning in to a tangled mess of emotion. Lukas needs to keep things together for the first time in his life, and deliver the dream wedding for his two best friends, but he can’t even find the ring. His attempts to keep the wedding on track and get these two to the alter are going make you laugh and cry.

Introduction

The new South African, English/ Afrikaans-language film, Konfetti, will be released locally on 4 April. Written by Louw Venter, and directed and produced by Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat of Light and Dark Films, Konfetti stars a host of top local talent including Louw Venter, Nico Panagio, Casey B Dolan, Kim Engelbrecht and Casper De Vries.

Described as an unexpected love story that will make you laugh and cry, the film was shot on location at the beautiful Blaauklippen wine farm in Stellenbosch in the Cape and follows the high and low drama surrounding the wedding of Jean Voster and Sherryl Lieberman.

Based on his play, The Best Man’s Speech, Louw Venter, together with Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat wrote the film’s original screenplay. “It’s all about the best man who has the best intentions to keep things together for the first time in his life and how all the colourful personalities and their idiosyncrasies, as well as the stress and emotions surrounding the big day thwart his plans.”

“From the cultural differences between the Afrikaans and Jewish families, to the wedding singer who is actually the bride’s high-school nemesis, the lost wedding ring and the Rastafarian priest, the entertainment value is high and generates genuine humour.”

Konfetti was directed and produced by Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat of Light and Dark Films. An award-winning producer of both feature films and television series this is Zaheer’s first foray into the director’s chair. He produced the films Confessions of a Gambler, Master Harold…And the Boys, Skeem and Jimmy in Pienk.

Konfetti will be released by United International Pictures South Africa in local cinemas on 4 April 2014.

Synopsis

Jean and Sheryl are getting married. He is Afrikaans. She is Jewish. Their families are tense and Lukas – the best man - has been on a drinking spree and forgotten to confirm the band.

To complicate matters more, the ancestral ring has been delayed because Sheryl’s relatives are lost en-route to the wedding.

In desperation Lukas books the first available singer he can find – big mistake! Bianca is the bride’s old nemesis. They have a lot of bad history and she is the last person who should be at Sheryl’s perfect wedding – that is quickly turning in to a tangled mess of emotion. In a moment of panic, she cancels the whole wedding and instantly regrets it.

Lukas needs to keep things together for the first time in his life, fix the mess he caused and deliver the dream wedding for his two best friends, but he can’t even find the ring.

In order to keep the wedding on track these friends are going to need to face some hard truths about the past and dig deep inside themselves all the while negotiating the inevitable chaos that large families bring to a wedding day.

Getting these two to the alter is going to make you laugh and cry.

Biographies: Cast

Louw Venter (writer, Lukas Basson)

Louw is an actor, writer and comedian best known for playing Corne in the television comedy series ‘The Most Amazing Show’ and his weekly roles on ZAnews where he portrays a variety of characters. Louw is the writer of the film and also stars as the best man, Lukas Basson.

Louw has appeared in the Afrikaans blockbuster, Semi-Soet, in John Boorman’s In My Country with Juliette Binoche, opposite Christopher Lambert in The Piano Player, and in the South African films, Crazy Monkey’s Straight Outta Benoni, Bunny Chow and Rainbow Skellums.

Louw has a myriad of professions under his belt including copywriter, graphic designer, illustrator and more recently, actor and writer. He was head- writer and lead actor in Rugby Motors, South Africa’s first ever mockumentary-style sitcom, commissioned by DStv’s Afrikaans language channel, Kyknet.

Louw stars in some other films due for release in 2014, including Kite (opposite Samuel L Jackson), Alles Wat Mal Is by Darrel Roodt and the highly anticipated art film, Love The One You Love, by writer/ director Jenna Bass. At the same time, Louw is completing work on Swartwater, a cutting edge new drama series airing on SABC2 prime time from February in which he plays the lead character.

In 2013 Louw was nominated as best supporting actor in a feature film for Semi-Soet at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA). He and the film’s cast won for best ensemble cast in a comedy.

Nico Panagio (Jean Voster)

Nico’s South African entertainment industry experience spans over 15 years and includes theatre, soap operas, television series, feature films for the big screen, as well as magazine and reality shows.

His big screen film debut was the Franz Marx production, Susanna van Biljon. This was followed by the romantic lead in Semi-Soet – the film hit record sales on all platforms and saw him earn a SAFTA (South African Film and Television Awards) Best Actor nomination. This year Nico can also be seen in Vrou Soek Boer.

Nico’s television career includes small parts in productions like Egoli and Generations, the lead role – for five years - in 7de Laan, the MNET mini-series Ella Blue, as well as two seasons of Vallei van Sluiers for Kyknet. He also played the villian in Zone 14. From 2007 to 2010 he was a presenter for Top Billing, and later hosted Survivor South Africa. This year Nico will once again be presenting for Top Billing and season five of MNET’s Survivor SA, ‘Champions’.

Casey B Dolan (Sherryl Lieberman)

Casey began her television career as a continuity presenter. Her acting debut was in the controversial series 37 Honey Street which featured the first ever lesbian kiss on South African TV. She went on to appear in dramas such as Kelebone, Scandal, Isidingo and Backstage. She also presented for Jika Majika, Fresh, 20something and Top Billing.

In 2000 Casey had a stint in radio on 5FM’s afternoon drive show. In the same year she was voted FHM’s Sexiest Woman in South Africa (and the second Sexiest Woman in the World) by South African readers.

More recently Casey has appeared in a number of feature films where she worked with both local and international directors. These include Sumuru - directed by Darrel Roodt - No Man’s Gold and Lost Boys: The Thirst – directed by Dario Piana – and, Skeem and Copposites.

Kim Engelbrecht (Bianca)

Making her screen debut in the feature film, Sarahsarà (1994), Kim has appeared in Boy Called Twist (2004), The Flyer (2005), Bunny Chow (2006) and Death Rade: Inferno (2012).

Shortly after appearing in her first film she landed a job as a child presenter for Craz-E, a kid's programming block on the fledgling free-to-air channel e.tv. She was soon headhunted by the SABC to host their educational show, Take 5. Other television shows that she has appeared in include, Pute Monate Show (which she co-wrote) and the SABC2 crime procedural, Zero Tolerance, in which she played the role of Sadika, a lesbian dancer.

Kim is known for her role in the late 1990’s as Lolly van Onselen in the SABC3 soap opera, Isidingo – she played the part for ten years. She recently landed a role in the fourth season of the British indie crime series, Mad Dogs – the show is in the top 20 of the UK’s most watched and airs on DStv’s BBC Entertainment in SA.

In 2006 Kim also had a role in the theatrical production of Popcorn and was nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award for best newcomer. She was also part of the comedy, Pure Monate Show, where she was given the opportunity to write and perform. In 2012 Kim was awarded the Funniest Moment in TV from TV-Plus magazine for an episode in Rugby Motors – which was written by Louw Venter and Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat, who also directed the show.

Caper De Vries (Barry White)

Casper began his professional career in 1986 with Hallo Suid-Afrika (Hello South Africa). He went on to become one of the country’s most renowned personalities, gaining experience as an actor, comedian, entertainer, composer, director and producer.

Casper has starred in countless feature films, including Haak en Steek, Alec to the Rescue (1999), Soweto Green (1995), Sweet 'n Short (1991), Taxi to Soweto (1992), and Kwagga Strikes Back (also known as Oh, Shucks-here comes UNTAG in 1990).

In the early 1990s Casper was the host of Devries, an America's Funniest Home Videos-style show. He wrote, produced and starred in a three-series comedy variety show, Die Casper Rasper Show (2001–2003) and a soapie-spoof, Haak & Steek (2003/04). More recently he became the host of Doen met 'n Miljoen!, the Afrikaans version of Deal or no Deal. In 2009 he guest starred in South Africa's longest running soap, Egoli. In 2010 appeared as a guest artist in the Afrikaans improvisational TV-show, Proesstraat, and as judge on the popular Afrikaans reality show, Supersterre.

Walgwors was his first one-man show in 1997 and until 2013 he performed in more than 12 others including Toet & Taal (1999), Die Hits (2003), and Casper Goes Khaki (2013). These were characterized Casper being very outspoken on topics such as humanity, religion, social norms, language and politics. Several of his stand-up, one-man comedy shows have also been featured on local television channels such as SABC 2, Kyknet and Comedy Central Africa, including Mondig, Broeders, Ancestors and Mondig deel 2.

Christel van den Bergh (Christine)

Christel is known for her roles in the films Bakgat! I and Bakgat! II (2010), Hoofmeisie (2011) and Ek Joke Net (2011). She also appeared as Loraine Marx in the KykNet soap opera, Villa Rosa, from 2009, and as Ansie Retief in the drama series, Plek van die Vleisvreters (2004), on Kyknet and SABC 2. Other television credits include, 7de Laan, Egoli, Gabriel, Generations, Laugh Out Loud, and she was one of the leads in the sitcom, Deeltitel Dames.

Christel has also played in various theater productions including the Farses, 2006 ....is die muis baas and Knypie op die kant directed by Pierre van Pletzen in 2008/9. Christel has appeared in various television commercials. She is a registered voice-over artist on the voice bank and has done numerous voice-overs for both television and radio. In 2009 she was named as a South African National Blood Service (SANBS) Celebrity Ambassador, a wide scale campaign to promote blood donating services.

Jana Strydom (Martine)

A well-known face in the South African entertainment industry, Jana Strydom has appeared in feature films such as Everyman’s Taxi (2009) and Donkerland (2013). She is best known for her television roles as Helena Moolman in the SABC2 soapie, 7de Laan, as Marcelle in the M-Net soapie, Egoli, and as Kate Ferreira in the SABC2 drama series, Erfsondes. She also appeared in Villa Rosa and Binneland Sub Judice.

Jana works as a performer in television, film, theatre and the voice market. She received the People Magazine's Crystal Award in 2004 for the best newcomer to the industry. In 2013 she won the best actress in a short-film at the Silwerkermfees, an awards ceremony dedicated to Afrikaans films in long and short format.

Biographies: Crew

Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat (Director, Producer)

Zaheer's love affair with entertainment began as a young boy when he used to shoot 8mm films. At 12 he started acting and directed his first play at 16 under the tutelage of iconic theatre producer Barney Simon.

In 2007 Zaheer developed and produced the film of the best-selling novel, Confessions of a Gambler, which premiered in competition at the Dubai Film Festival, and played in official selection at the Miami and Dublin film festivals. Confessions played in over 100 film festivals around the world and sold in as many territories.

Zaheer followed this with the show runner for the first three seasons of the hit TV series, Jacob’s Cross, which sold worldwide. In 2008 he produced Age of Love with MONSTER, TV Norge, a Norwegian TV channel, and NBC. The show was the highest rated in Scandinavia at the time.

In 2009 Zaheer produced a film adaptation of the Broadway hit play Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard. Set in South Africa in 1950 this autobiographical work is a poignant look at human relationships and the formative experiences of the man Time Magazine called “The greatest living playwright in the world today”. The film was directed by Prime Time Emmy Award winner, Lonny Price, and starred Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel, Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate factory) and Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Mission Impossible).

In the same year Zaheer made two climate change films. Nature Finds a Way was shortlisted for a 1MINUTE TO SAVE THE EARTH prize and shown at the Copenhagen climate change summit, and, Ice Board was commissioned by the Save Our Seas Foundation. The latter was collaboration with acclaimed artist, Conn Bertish, and played the film festival circuit for the past four years.

In 2011 Zaheer produced Tim Greene’s sophomore film Skeem. The film had its world premiere at the Abu Dhabi film festival and walked away with the most sought after prize, the Audience Choice Award, beating the likes of George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh and Wim Wenders. The film’s South African release was to commercial and critical success and saw it playing for 19 weeks theatrically. The film had its European premier at the Goteborg Film Festival in Sweden the following January.

2012 saw production on a new 13-part prime time comedy series, Rugby Motors, for Kyknet and in 2013, a theatrical feature film, Jimmy in Pienk, which premiered at the Beloit Film Festival in Chicago in February 2014.

Konfetti is Zaheer’s debut as a feature film director. Due for theatrical release early in 2014, it boasts an all-star cast and the biggest pre-buy in South African film history.

Zaheer is a member of The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and regularly participates as a finals juror.

Light and Dark Films (Production Company)

Light & Dark Films (LNDF) is an international award-winning feature film and television production company focused on development, production and financing. Since inception in 2004 this vertically integrated film development, finance and distribution entity has produced five feature films that have sold in more than 90 countries and produced four long-running TV series that have sold in more than 60 territories and topped television ratings around the world.

Light and Dark Films’ in-house service – a combination of creative producing and finance skills – is unique to South Africa and includes sale, distribution and several finance options – leaseback, tax rebate, loans and equity. This structure allows the company to act as creative producers who can back their decisions with their own capital, while at the same time acting as lead producers or international co-producers where appropriate. Subsequently the company is able to contribute between 30 and 50 percent of the finance budget for the films they produce and is typically willing to be the cornerstone financier to ensure a film becomes reality. This combination of creative producing and finance skills makes it extraordinarily committed to the films it takes on.

During its 10th anniversary the company is moving in to distribution and formalizing its film financing operations. It is currently raising more than $40m for film and television projects.

LNDF has won a slew of prestigious awards including…

Master Harold and the Boys (2009)
• Winner - Audience Choice Award - Cape Winelands Film Festival, South Africa (2010)
• Winner - Best Director of a Feature Film New York International Independent Film Festival
• The Provincetown International Film Festival, Massachusetts, USA
• International Black Film Festival – Nashville, TN, USA

One minute to save the world (2009)
• A finalist in the One Minute to save the World International film contest

Notable Festival outings for Iceboard
• Winner – Best Eco Award – California Surf Film Festival – Malibu, CA, USA
• Shorebreak Surf Cinema - Huntington, CA, USA
• Alma Surf Festival, Brazil
• Ombak Surf Festival, Bali, Indonesia
• Taranaki Surf Festival, New Zealand
• Laguna Beach Film Society, Laguna Art Museum, CA, USA
• Durban International Film Festival, South Africa
• New York Surf Film Festival, NY, USA

Skeem (2011)
• Winner - Audience Choice award Abu Dhabi (2012)
• Showcase at Abu Dhabi Film Festival
• Main competition at Gothenburg film festival (2012)
• Winner Best Screenplay – South African Film Awards (2012)
• Winner Best Director - South African Film Awards (2012)
• Winner Best Director – Africa Magic film Awards (2013)
• Winner Best Screenplay - Africa Magic film Awards (2013)

Rugby Motors – TV series 2012
• A moment from the show was named Funniest Moment in Television This Year by TV-PLUS magazine (and starred Kim Engelbrecht)