Story of Amy Biehl, US Student Slain in SA Township, to Become Movie

The tragic and redemptive story of Amy Biehl, the American Fulbright scholar who was living in South Africa when she was attacked by a township mob in Cape Town and stabbed to death, will be made into a film backed by Tyler Perry and some other US movie luminaries.

According to news reports on Thursday, the movie, titled “The Year of the Great Storm”, will tell the story of Biehl – a 26-year-old Stanford University graduate and anti-apartheid activist – who was studying at the University of the Western Cape. On that fateful night of 25 August, 1993, as she drove a friend home to Guguletu, a mob pulled her from the car and stabbed and stoned her to death.

Her parents came out to South Africa to attend the trial of the four killers, and later supported their application for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, all of which will be part of the movie. Biehl’s parents started the Amy Biehl Foundation in her honour.

The director and actor Perry is teaming up with executive producers Doug Liman, who directed the first “Bourne” movie with Matt Damon, and award-winning play and movie director George C Wolfe. Directing the Biehl pic will be Swedish-raised Kurd Karzan Kader, who directed the award-winning movie “Bekas”, about two young boys in Iraq.

“We’re thrilled to be tackling this difficult but inspiring subject matter with an incredible director, writer and team of producers,” Ozzie Areu, President of Tyler Perry Studios, was quoted as saying. “The story of the Biehl family’s journey is one of courage, compassion and redemption, and we are humbled that they have allowed us unfettered access to bring their lives to the big screen.”

A movie about Biehl’s story has long been rumoured, and in 2003 it seemed certain that actress Reese Witherspoon would play the role of Biehl.