After a year of research and fundraising, we are returning to South Africa to begin Principal Photography on ‘Dear Mandela’ – the feature-length version. Our cinematographer Matt Peterson and our producer Tina Brown will be joining us. We will be on location for six weeks.
We’ll be filming the presidential elections on the 22nd February, through the shack dwellers’ eyes. After a decade of President Thabo Mbeki’s rule, the populist, pro-poor Jacob Zuma is expected to take the helm. We will also be filming on Freedom Day on the 27th April – the fifteenth anniversary of the very first democratic elections in 1994. The shack dwellers call it ‘UnFreedom’ Day. Shack dwellers are traveling from across the country to march, talk, pray, sing, and plan how to make the promises of their leaders a reality. After filming in Durban and Cape Town, we’ll be back in New York to begin editing and planning the next shoot.
In April, our website is going live! We’ll be blogging from South Africa, and posting sneak previews of what we’re filming. Visit www.dearmandela.com in April for production updates, info on screenings and ways to get involved.
