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 byCraig Freimond
Written byCraig Freimond
Ronnie Apteker
Robbie Thorpe
Rosalind Butler
Riaad Moosa
Screenplay byCraig Freimond
Story byCraig Freimond
Ronnie Apteker
Rosalind Butler
Ronnie Thorpe
Riaad Moosa
Produced byRonnie Apteker
Ronnie Thorpe
StarringRiaad Moosa
Vincent Ebrahim
Yusuf Rasdien
Krijay Govender
Zakeeva Patel
Carishma Basday
Royston Stoffels
Quanita Adams
Afzal Khan
Mel Miller
Nik Rabinowitz
CinematographyTrevor Claverley
Edited byMegan Gill
Music byLizzie Rennie
Release date
  • 10 January 2012 (2012-01-10) (South Africa)
Running time
94 minutes
CountrySouth Africa
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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Set 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

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Awards

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  • 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

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It 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

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  1. ^ Official website
  2. ^ Film Africa 2012
  3. ^ "One of the best original South African films" incwajana.com
  4. ^ Stopforth, Mike "A Leap Forward in South African Cinema mikestopforth.com, 20, February 2012
  5. ^ "South African film makes UK viewers cry" Channel 24 Entertainment Now, 3 December 2012
  6. ^ "Telling South Africa's Stories" Archived 2013-07-10 at the Wayback Machine Brand South Africa, 2 May 2013
  7. ^ "South African Muslims come to life in Material film" Reuters blog, 11 March 2012
  8. ^ The Africa Channel
  9. ^ Riaad Moosa and his bright material Daily Maverick, 10 February 2012
  10. ^ South African Film and Television Awards
  11. ^ "New Material". NuMetro. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Mew Material". IMDb. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
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