Material is a 2012 South African film,[1] directed by Craig Freimond and written by Craig Freimond, Ronnie Apteker, Robbie Thorpe, Rosalind Butler and Riaad Moosa. After playing at Film Africa 2012,[2] it has been shown at numerous film festivals around the world (London, International Film Festival of India, Busan) and gained a reputation as one of the best original South African films[3] and a significant leap forward for the country's film industry.[4] Its portrayal of the lives of Muslims in South Africa was seen as an honest attempt to tackle some of the social issues facing the country's multiracial society.[5][6][7][8]
| Material | |
|---|---|
 film poster | |
| Directed by | Craig Freimond |
| Written by | Craig Freimond Ronnie Apteker Robbie Thorpe Rosalind Butler Riaad Moosa |
| Screenplay by | Craig Freimond |
| Story by | Craig Freimond Ronnie Apteker Rosalind Butler Ronnie Thorpe Riaad Moosa |
| Produced by | Ronnie Apteker Ronnie Thorpe |
| Starring | Riaad Moosa Vincent Ebrahim Yusuf Rasdien Krijay Govender Zakeeva Patel Carishma Basday Royston Stoffels Quanita Adams Afzal Khan Mel Miller Nik Rabinowitz |
| Cinematography | Trevor Claverley |
| Edited by | Megan Gill |
| Music by | Lizzie Rennie |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | South Africa |
| Language | English |
Plot
editSet in the Muslim Indian enclave of Fordsburg, Johannesburg. Material revolves around the tempestuous relationship between Cassim Kaif and his aging father whose one dream is for his son to take over the family's fabric shop, which is struggling to stay afloat. However, Cassim wants to be a stand-up comedian, a notion that his traditionalist father strongly disapproves of. When Cassim lands a gig at a local bar, he has to find a way of keeping it a secret from his family.[9] The film's portrayal of the clash between youth, tradition and religion, alternates between family drama and snippets from the world of stand-up comedy.
Cast
edit- Riaad Moosa as Cassim Kaif
- Vincent Ebrahim as Ebrahim Kaif
- Joey Yusuf Rasdien as Yusuf
- Denise Newman as Fatima Kaif
- Krijay Govender as Dadi Kaif
- Zakeeya Patel as Aisha Kaif
- Carishma Basday as Zulfa Ahmed
- Royston Stoffels as Rafiq Kaif
- Quanita Adams as Shareen
- Afzal Khan as Faheem
- Mel Miller as Merv
- Nik Rabinowitz as Dave Gold
Awards
edit- 7th South African Film and Television Awards (2013) - Best Director of a Feature Film (Craig Freimond), Best Actor in a Feature Film (Riaad Moosa), Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film (Vincent Ebrahim), Best Feature Film, Best Sound Designer of a Feature Film[10]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | South African Film and Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor - Feature Film | Vincent Ebrahim | Won | |
| Best Actor - Feature Film | Riaad Moosa | Won | |||
| Best Achievement in Sound Design - Feature Film | Charlotte Buys | Won | |||
| Best Achievement in Cinematography - Feature Film | Trevor Calverley | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress - Feature Film | Denise Newman | Nominated | |||
| Best Achievement in Script Writing - Feature Film | Craig Freimond | Nominated | |||
| Best Achievement in Editing - Feature Film | Nominated | ||||
| Best Feature Film | Ronnie Apteker goofball |
Nominated |
Sequel
editIt was titled New Material, alongside arrivals Riaad Moosa, Vincent Ebrahim, Denise Newman and Joey Yusuf Rasdien. It will be released on 1 October 2021.[11][12]
References
edit- ^ Official website
- ^ Film Africa 2012
- ^ "One of the best original South African films" incwajana.com
- ^ Stopforth, Mike "A Leap Forward in South African Cinema mikestopforth.com, 20, February 2012
- ^ "South African film makes UK viewers cry" Channel 24 Entertainment Now, 3 December 2012
- ^ "Telling South Africa's Stories" Archived 2013-07-10 at the Wayback Machine Brand South Africa, 2 May 2013
- ^ "South African Muslims come to life in Material film" Reuters blog, 11 March 2012
- ^ The Africa Channel
- ^ Riaad Moosa and his bright material Daily Maverick, 10 February 2012
- ^ South African Film and Television Awards
- ^ "New Material". NuMetro. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "Mew Material". IMDb. Retrieved 1 August 2021.