by Thinus Ferreira
To celebrate 2022's Youth Day in South Africa and the 30th anniversary of Sarafina! starring Leleti Khumalo and Whoopi Goldberg, e.tv will roll out the red carpet for cinema showings on Wednesday and broadcast the musical drama film on Youth Day on Thursday.
e.tv first broadcast the Anant Singh produced and Darrell Roodt directed Sarafina! 20 years ago with the movie which was filmed at Morris Isaacson High School in Soweto, telling the story of the 1976 Soweto student uprising in the country, with a local and international cast including Whoopi Goldberg, John Kani, Leleti Khumalo and Miriam Makeba.
Sarafina! will be in South African cinemas again on Wednesday this week, with e.tv doing red carpet showings at Nu Metro in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, before broadcasting Sarafina! on Youth Day on Thursday on e.tv at 15:05.
"Sarafina! has remained an audience favourite and an important film in South African cinema. We are proud to partner with Videovision Entertainment to bring Sarafina! back to e.tv to celebrate this milestone," says e.tv content specialist, Marisa Hendricks.
Sarafina! had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 30
years ago and was released shortly thereafter at cinemas in South Africa.
Anant Singh who recently attended the Cannes Film Festival again, says "It was a truly nostalgic
moment for me when I was walking on the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals
where I met officials of the festival who could scarcely believe that it was 30
years since the momentous world premiere in Cannes".
"My journey with Sarafina! began 35 years ago when I saw the play at the
Market Theatre in Johannesburg."
"I was moved and felt that I had to make a film
about this amazing play. I was able to secure the film rights from
Mbongeni Ngema and the rest is history."
"The important aspect for me was that
Sarafina! was based on the watershed event of 16 June 1976 which changed the
course of South Africa's history. Sarafina! was made shortly after Nelson Mandela was released from prison and we were fortunate to have had his support to make
the film and have him as guest of honour at the South African premiere of the
film."
"Today, 30 years later, we are delighted to be sharing our film,
which perpetuates the contribution of the heroes of 1976 to our democracy, with
the viewers of e.tv."
