Cape Talent

A Film by Jean Christophe Blavier

We started working on our film project after having shared an evening with Sven Ruhs on a Late winter evening of January 2009. Sven had told us about his magazine project on SA for which he was looking for supporters and partners.

Immediately I felt like an gigantic inspiration potential pushing me to say, “let´s do it, let’s take part to this adventure”. Spontaneously we offered to participate by producing a “making of” or/and a film going along the magazine, covering some of it´s stories. The very next days, we involved ourselves arranging our journey to SA, researching and contacting characters, that could, ahead of the soccer World Cup deliver us their stories fitting the multicultural SA, magazine and film concept.

2 month later, on a late evening in march 2009, Birgit and I touched first time the SA ground. There we met the magazines team, Sven and Darius both coming as well from Germany and later Andrea, Inge, Mike, Raffaella and many more. A Team of active professionals Ads, photographers, authors, visiting or living in SA and all involved in the project “Golden Arrow”.

We had exactly 7 days to have a first approach of the motives and people that were considered for the project. In 7 days we had already collected 7 stories giving us in this small laps of time a feeling to have embraced the whole of the Rainbow Nation. From Cedrik driver of the Golden Arrow bus co. in Cape Town to the Soccer Academy youngsters in Pretoria through Pedro Espi-Sanchis and his Vuvuzela Orchestra or the Soap Girls in Hout Bay, the film has been conducting us to encounter the Rainbow People of SA.

Back home in Stuttgart we thought we could realize the film with this material until we get the chance to meet Msgr. Desmond Tutu in Tübingen taking part on the invitation of Hans Küng to a world ethic forum. In contact with his office in Cape Town, we tried in vain, to get a separate interview meeting while his staying in our country. By attempting the world ethic forum we were confronted with Tutu and his thoughts. This encounter impressed us both so in the deepest of our feelings and consciousness that our next trip to SA for a private meeting with him became a priority for our film.

Suddenly by chance, we received a notice from Msgr. Desmond Tutu’s office for a 30min. appointment in October 2009. In shortest time we packed our stuff contacted some more potential people for the project and flight to the Cape of Good Hope for the second time. This second trip was even more sensational on the human approach not only Msgr. Desmond Tutu gave us his time for a meeting, despite coming out of a sickness, but we also had the chance to film the Likhwesi and Marimba Dancers Project at the Linge secondary school. Situated in Nyanga the oldest town ship of Cape Town the dancers, actors, singers, musician group led by Pamella Mtati gave us through arts discipline, a day long, the prove of their talents and inspiration for a better life.

The reason why I decide to start a business in the documentary film making some 25 years ago, was the wish of sharing my own experiences first about ballet than about people. Today, looking back to the producing of our film named “Cape Talent”, I can say that film making became an alibi to discover. Film making give us the chance for exploring. In SA we encountered another humanity.