SA Short Film ‘Gift’ in Finals of International Competition

A short South African film about a young street child who finds freedom through dance has made it into the finals of an international competition, My Rode Reel.

The 3-minute film – ‘Gift’, directed by Dan Mace – stars Lwando Qhanga as a child from the township who dances to the sounds of his fears in order to view his life in a positive light. It evokes hope and reminds us of the power of perception and believing that you can be whatever you want to be.

With the cinematography talents of Fabian Vettiger, the film showcases some wonderful and familiar South African sights and sounds.

“We have been announced as finalists but still need some South African voting power to win…” says producer Jacqueline Stone.

Voting closes on 3 July 2015.

PLEASE VOTE HERE:
www.rode.com/myrodereel/watch/entry/883 (you can vote once through FB and once through Gmail)

Watch Video – ‘Gift’ – My Rode Reel 2015

[vc_button title=”VOTE HERE” target=”_blank” color=”default” size=”size_large2″ href=”http://bit.ly/1CGQinh”]

Director Dan Mace on ‘Gift’ and its message…

“Originally when writing this film it was about showcasing the positives of altering your perception; chameleon mind I like to call it. We tend to forget what’s worth remembering and remember that what should be forgotten, why?

“I believe that we are always fantasising about lives we don’t live, unrealistic dreams, which is understandable because of the online social era we live in – we get to be a part of other people’s lives that they choose to portray on the internet which we believe is real.

“Through the young poverty stricken pantsula dancer Gift, I wanted to showcase someone with nothing who looks at his surroundings in a way which fuels his creativity, dance and happiness to highlight that fact that happiness and freedom doesn’t come from running in the hamster wheel of society chasing the unachievable.

“For most, we can’t change our surroundings, but we can change the way we see them and Gift understands this, he dances to the sounds of his fears through creating a rhythmic melody out of them.

“When the film unravels the audience understands that Gift dances informally in front of cars parked in traffic for money, where he has to dance without music, but he uses the sounds from his routes to dance in this form of expression.”

[vc_button title=”VOTE HERE” target=”_blank” color=”default” size=”size_large2″ href=”http://bit.ly/1CGQinh”]

Watch Video: ‘Gift’ – Behind the Scenes

[vc_button title=”VOTE HERE” target=”_blank” color=”default” size=”size_large2″ href=”http://bit.ly/1CGQinh”]