‘LUKAS’ TO MAKE HISTORY AS THE FIRST NAMIBIAN FILM TO SCREEN IN CINEMAS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Following its successful premiere at Ster Kinekor Grove Mall on 01 February 2024 ‘Lukas’, the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO) latest film, will make history as being the first Namibian film to screen in cinemas in both Namibia (Ster Kinekor Grove Mall and Maerua Mall) and South Africa (Johannesburg (Ster Kinekor Rosebank Nouveau and Southgate) and Cape Town (V&A Waterfront and N1 City)) from 08 March 2024.
| ‘LUKAS’ TO MAKE HISTORY AS THE FIRST NAMIBIAN FILM TO SCREEN IN CINEMAS IN SOUTH AFRICA 27/02/2024 Following its successful premiere at Ster Kinekor Grove Mall on 01 February 2024 ‘Lukas’, the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO) latest film, will make history as being the first Namibian film to screen in cinemas in both Namibia (Ster Kinekor Grove Mall and Maerua Mall) and South Africa (Johannesburg (Ster Kinekor Rosebank Nouveau and Southgate) and Cape Town (V&A Waterfront and N1 City)) from 08 March 2024. In 2012 ‘Taste of Rain’ by Namibian Richard Pakleppa made history by also being screened in South Africa. It was a Namibian–German–South African coproduction featuring South African actors Nicola Hanekom and Grant Swanby in the lead roles. Directed by Philippe Talavera, based on a script written by Mikiros Garoes, with a 100% Namibian cast and crew, the film offers a poignant exploration of the lives of street children, providing a raw and authentic portrayal of their challenges and the unwavering spirit that propels them forward. Based on interviews done with 17 children and young people currently living in the streets and four young people who have come in conflict with the law due to their lives in the streets, the film is a fiction based on facts. The film follows Lukas (played by Alejandro Cooper, Hernandes Gaonakgosi, and Treazurique Titus) over 15 years. It sheds light on the harsh realities children in the streets face and questions how society both fails and at times exploits, such children. ‘We are extremely proud to know ‘Lukas’ will have a run in cinemas in Windhoek, Johannesburg, and Cape Town’ says producer and director Talavera. ‘We worked hard on this movie. It is exciting to know people in both Namibia and South Africa will be able to watch it and hopefully connect with Lukas and the issues we portray in the film. We hope it will also open doors for other Namibian productions to screen in SA so that people from SA can get to know the talented actors we have in Namibia. Who knows, it might open doors for some of our actors to get roles in South African movies too.’ ‘Lukas’ was a massive production with a cast of 50. It is a combination of some of Namibian’s greatest names in the industries (such as award winner Dawie Engelbrecht, Roya Diehl, Mara Baumgartner, Lucky Pieters, Felicity Celento, and international multi-award winner Adriano Visagie) and some amazing newcomers such as Alejandro Cooper, Hernandes Gaonakgosi, Treazurique Titus, Isvaldo Eixab, Oscar Shilongo, Christiano Farmer and Sydney Farao. ‘Lukas’ has also been selected in festivals in Nigeria (Coal City Film Festival) and the USA (the Black Film Summit). Further plans include a Namibian tour with screenings in towns such as Gobabis, Rehoboth, and Keetmanshoop. Screenings at Ster Kinekor Namibia and South Africa will run from 08 to 14 March 2024. The production of ‘Lukas’ was made possible thanks to support from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. For media inquiries and interview requests please contact Karolina Katumbo at info@ombetja.org or 081 668 4934. Let us come together to support this important narrative and build bridges of hope for a brighter future. For more information, follow OYO on social media https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555342439097 Kind Regards, The OYO team OYO was established in 2001 with the Kunene Regional Council when teachers approached Talavera on new ways of communicating information on the HIV/AIDS pandemic to learners. Conventional teaching was not effective and a new and creative way was needed. Five short films on the pandemic were born from adapted scripts submitted by learners. Based on the success obtained, OYO was then formalised as a Welfare Organisation (December 2002) and a Trust (2009) |
