South African feature film “Carissa” has been officially selected to form part of the Horizons section at the 81st Venice Film Festival.
The festival, which starts tomorrow and runs until September 7, is one of oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the world.
“Carissa” will screen alongside several international films such as “Happy Holidays” (Italy), “Familiar Touch” (USA), “Marco” (Spain), “Mistress Dispeller” (China/USA), “Of Dogs and Men” (Israel/Italy) and “Pavements” (US).
Produced by Na Aap Productions, a company devoted to preserving the history of indigenous people and cultures, the feature is written and directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar.
Last year, the film was selected for the Final Cut in Venice (FCV) at the same festival.
The process entailed presenting the working copy of the film to producers, buyers, distributors, post-production companies and film festival programmers.
It won a €5 000 (R99 000)cash award to support the film in post-production.
The film was also awarded €2 500 in post-production cost support and the acquisition of the non-commercial and non-exclusive broadcasting rights for seven years, with a value of €4 000 to €6 000, both from the Jury of Supporters award category.
“Carissa” revolves around a young woman named Carissa, played by Gretchen Ramsden, who spends a dull life in a tiny mountain village with her grandmother, Wilhelmiena.
One day, Wilhelmiena drags Carissa to a presentation by Mont Royale, a business conglomerate that intends building a luxury golf estate on the rooibos fields. The company offers education programmes for young applicants of the village.
One evening, Carissa’s long-absent grandfather Hendrik, played by Hendrik Kriel, unexpectedly pays her a visit.
Hendrik, a rooibos farmer impacted by Mont Royale's takeover, gives Carissa the opportunity to spend some time in the mountains with him before the land disappears.
During this time, Carissa encounters a different way of life.
After finding comfort and meaning in the mountains beneath the sun and stars, she learns that there is more to life than her grandmother’s expectations.
Her quest is essentially about rediscovering and identifying with a world she has known her entire life.
Jacobs and Devon Delmar said: “We are thrilled to be presenting our film to an international audience at the Venice Film Festival. This is one of the most important festivals and will provide a great platform to showcase ‘Carissa’.”