The majority of South African films to come out of the country in the years since 1994, the year of the first democratic elections in the country, have largely focused on the turbulent history during apartheid and the years since as the country, its government, and its people struggle to find steady ground. Plagued by staggering crime rates, poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, creating a strong film industry in South Africa has not been a top priority. But recent films, such as the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi and the innovative musical U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (based on the opera, Carmen, updated and set in a South African township and sung in Xhosa) have brought an international spotlight to South African film.

A new film continues the trend of highlighting South African talent. Bunny Chow, directed by up-and-coming director John Barker, tells the story of twenty-something South Africans weaving their way through relationships, drugs and friendships. Barker explains that in South Africa, Bunny Chow is the name of a traditional South African dish: a mash of vegetables, spices and meat all poured into a bread bun. By titling his first feature film Bunny Chow, he wanted to represent the mish-mash of cultures, races and languages that is South Africa today, particularly in Johannesburg where the film begins.

The film follows the story of four comedians traveling to a popular music festival called Oppi Koppi. It is at times a road-trip film, a love story, and a coming-of-age narrative. The main character, David, played by talented David Kibuuka struggles to find love, a career and his comedic voice. His companions on the trip: Joey, Cope and Kagiso have their own obstacles to face. Kim Engelbrecht as Kagisoí¢â‚¬â„¢s naíƒ ¯ve girlfriend is stunning. The style of dialogue and cinematography feels so natural that it is easy to forget that the film essentially portrays the complexities of being a young white, black or coloured South African today.

At the TIFF premiere screening earlier this year, John Barker explained that most everything about the production of the film was unconventional. Instead of a fully developed script, they employed a technique called í¢â‚¬Å“retro-scripting,í¢â‚¬  where there were scene outlines but the actors were given the freedom to improvise.

In a recent interview with Capital Mag, John described the response to Bunny Chow thus far, noting that both domestic and international audiences have given it a warm response. í¢â‚¬Å“We were invited to AFI Los Angeles,í¢â‚¬  John explained, í¢â‚¬Å“and the response was just as good as Toronto. Recently, we were invited to open at Sithengi Film Festival [in Cape Town] and were blown away by the great response.í¢â‚¬ 

He is also aware that the film industry in South Africa may be starting a new page in its history. He believes that the country is í¢â‚¬Å“finally emerging from the Cinematic dark ages and its restrictive past, which saw the prevalence of angst-ridden post-apartheid dramas and the rise of parochial slapstick comedies.í¢â‚¬  Whether Bunny Chow is the beginning of a movement away from this í¢â‚¬Å“restrictive pastí¢â‚¬  is yet to be seen. But it does stray from the trend of large budget films like Tsotsi and Philip Noyceí¢â‚¬â„¢s Catch a Fire, which were largely aimed at capturing international audiences. Bunny Chow, although doing the international festival circuit, may not even be released internationally. It is a film that speaks to the domestic market.

In South Africa, lack of financial support and access to equipment and the infrastructure needed to make a successful film remains an important issue. Struggling filmmakers around the world can attest to the difficulty in securing funding for independent films in general. In South Africa, this lack is magnified by issues such as a small domestic market, lack of infrastructure and limited international attention. The latter, however, continues to change and Bunny Chow is the latest film to shine the spotlight on South African film. Director John Barker shows that with some innovative funding and production techniques, and a committed cast and crew, a fine film on a low-budget can receive international attention and critical acclaim.

By: Naomi Angel

Images from Bunnychowmovie.com