Tsotsi | |
---|---|
Directed by | Gavin Hood |
Screenplay by | Gavin Hood |
Based on | Tsotsi by Athol Fugard |
Produced by | Peter Fudakowski |
Starring | Presley Chweneyagae |
Cinematography | Lance Gewer |
Edited by | Megan Gill |
Music by | Vusi Mahlasela Mark Kilian Paul Hepker |
Production companies | The UK Film & TV Production Company PLC Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa The National Film and Video Foundation of SA Moviworld Tsotsi Films |
Distributed by | Ster-Kinekor Pictures (South Africa) Momentum Pictures (United Kingdom) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Countries | South Africa United Kingdom |
Languages | Setswana Zulu Sesotho Afrikaans English |
Budget | $3 million [1] |
Box office | $11.5 million [1] |
Tsotsi is a 2005 crime drama film written and directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Peter Fudakowski. It is an adaptation of the novel Tsotsi by Athol Fugard, and is a South African/UK co-production. Set in the Alexandra slum in Johannesburg, South Africa, it stars Presley Chweneyagae as David/Tsotsi (meaning "criminal" - see also Tsotsitaal), a young street thug who steals a car only to discover a baby in the back seat. It also features Kenneth Nkosi, Jerry Mofokeng, and Rapulana Seiphemo in supporting roles. [2]
The soundtrack features Kwaito music performed by South African artist Zola and Afro-pop group Mafikizolo, as well as a score by Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker with the voice of South African protest singer and poet Vusi Mahlasela.
The film was praised, particularly for its writing, direction, and performances, especially Chweneyagae's and Pheto's, cinematography and for emotional weight. It went on to win the 2006 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming the first South African film and first African film not made in French to win the former. [3] [4] [5] In 2009, it was unofficially remade in Tamil as Yogi . [6]
As his mother is dying of disease, David runs away from an abusive father and lives with other homeless children in a series of large concrete construction pipes. A few years later, David, who now goes by Tsotsi, is the leader of a gang that includes his friends Butcher, Aap, and Boston.
After getting involved in a murder committed by Butcher during a mugging, Tsotsi and Boston get into a fight that leaves Boston badly injured. Tsotsi later shoots Pumla, a young woman, while stealing her car, only to discover a three-month-old baby in the back seat. Tsotsi hastily strips the car of its valuables and takes the baby back to his shack. Pumla survives the attack (although is wheelchair bound) and works with a police artist to create a composite sketch of Tsotsi's face, which is then run in the newspapers.
Realising that he cannot properly care for the baby on his own, Tsotsi spots Miriam with a young child strapped to her back, collecting water from a public tap. He follows her to her shack and forces her at gunpoint to feed the kidnapped child. Meanwhile, rich gang leader Fela begins attempting to recruit Aap, Boston, and Butcher to work for him. When Tsotsi takes the child to Miriam a second time, she asks him to leave the boy with her so that she can care for him on Tsotsi's behalf, and Tsotsi agrees.
Tsotsi decides to take care of the injured Boston and has Aap and Butcher take Boston to his shack. Boston, who is called Teacher Boy by his friends, explains that he never took the teachers' examination. Tsotsi tells him that the gang will raise the money so that Boston can take the exam, which means that they will have to commit another robbery.
Tsotsi and Aap go to Pumla's house. When Pumla's husband John returns from the hospital, they follow him into the house and tie him up. Aap is assigned to watch John while Butcher ransacks the bedroom and Tsotsi collects items from the baby's room.
When Aap goes to raid the fridge, John activates the alarm. In a panic, Butcher attempts to kill John with John's pistol that he found. Tsotsi shoots and kills Butcher with his pistol. He and Aap escape in John's car moments before the security company arrives.
Traumatised by Tsotsi's killing of Butcher and fearing that Tsotsi will one day harm him too, Aap decides to leave the gang. When Tsotsi goes back to Miriam's house, she reveals that she knows where he got the baby, and begs him to return the child to his parents.
Tsotsi sets off to return the baby. He reaches John's house and tells John over the intercom that he will leave the child outside the gate. Meanwhile, an officer stationed at the house alerts Captain Smit, who rushes to the scene, arriving just as Tsotsi is about to walk away.
The police train their guns on Tsotsi, ordering him to return the baby. However, John urges them to lower their weapons so that he can retrieve the baby himself. As Tsotsi holds the baby in his arms, John convinces him to give up the baby. Tsotsi emotionally hands the baby to John, then is told to put up his hands and turns himself in as the film ends.
The film ends with Tsotsi raising his hands and does not disclose what happens thereafter. Two unused endings were shot for the film, which can be seen on the Tsotsi DVD. In one, Tsotsi is shot in the shoulder, and while the officers are shocked at what happened, he escapes through a large field back to the Alexandra slums after avoiding another shot from the chief police officer. In the other, Tsotsi is shot in the chest while reaching for a milk bottle he brought. He collapses and dies while John and Pumla look on in horror.
The film opened in a limited release in North America on 24 February 2006 in 6 theatres and ultimately was shown in 122 theatres for a lifetime worldwide gross of $11.54 million. [1]
The film received positive reviews from critics and has a score of 82% [7] on Rotten Tomatoes based on 131 reviews with an average score of 7.41 out of 10. The critical consensus states: "Chweneyagae's powerful performance carries this simple yet searing tale of a shantytown teenager's redemption." [8] The film also has a score of 70 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 35 critics. [9]
Roger Ebert gave the film a four out of four rating and stated:
How strange, a movie where a bad man becomes better, instead of the other way around. Tsotsi, a film of deep emotional power, considers a young killer whose cold eyes show no emotion, who kills unthinkingly, and who is transformed by the helplessness of a baby. He didn't mean to kidnap the baby, but now that he has it, it looks at him with trust and need, and he is powerless before eyes more demanding than his own. [...] How the story develops is for you to discover. I was surprised to find that it leads toward hope instead of despair; why does fiction so often assume defeat is our destiny? [10]
Tsotsi won the 2006 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film [11] and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. [12]
Gavin Hood was also nominated for the 2005 Non-European Film – Prix Screen International at the European Film Awards for his work on the film. [13]
Tsotsi | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
Released | 16 February 2006 |
Genre | Kwaito Hip hop Afro-pop |
Length | 1:08:15 |
Label | Milan Entertainment |
Producer | Emmanuel Chamboredon |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performed by | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mdlwembe" | Kabelo "Kaybee" Ikaneng | Zola | 4:17 |
2. | "Bhambatha" | Thabiso Tsotetsi | Zola | 4:22 |
3. | "Zingu 7" | Kabelo "Kaybee" Ikaneng | Zola | 2:43 |
4. | "Matofotofo" | Composed by Cleopas Monyepao, Lyrics by T. Ngeobo, S. Msimanga | Pitch Black Afro featuring Bravo | 4:52 |
5. | "Sgubhu Sam" | Unathi | Unathi | 4:10 |
6. | "Munt'Omnyama" | Lyrics by T. Kgosinkwe, Additional Lyrics by T. Seate, A. Muphemi | Mafikizolo featuring Stoan & Jahseed from Bongo Maffin | 4:31 |
7. | "Palesa" | Thabiso Tsotetsi | Zola | 3:59 |
8. | "Seven" | Kabelo "Kaybee" Ikaneng | Zola | 4:09 |
9. | "Ehlala" | Lyrics by Bonginkosi "Zola" Dlamini, Composed by Thabiso Tsotetsi, Cleopas Monyepao | Zola | 4:37 |
10. | "C.R.A.Z.Y" | Bongani Fassie, 37 MPH | Ishmael featuring Bongz | 4:10 |
11. | "It's Your Life" | Bonginkosi "Zola" Dlamini, Thabiso Tsotetsi, Cleopas Monyepao | Zola | 4:57 |
12. | "Woof Woof" | Kabelo "Kaybee" Ikaneng | Zola | 3:18 |
13. | "Stolen Legs" | Mark Kilian, Paul Hepker | Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker featuring Vusi Mahlasela | 0:59 |
14. | "On The Tracks" | Mark Kilian, Paul Hepker | Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker featuring Vusi Mahlasela | 1:11 |
15. | "Silang Mabele" | Vusi Mahlasela | Vusi Mahlasela | 5:38 |
16. | "Bye Bye Baby" | Mark Kilian, Paul Hepker | Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker featuring Vusi Mahlasela | 1:52 |
17. | "Baby Handover" | Mark Kilian, Paul Hepker | Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker featuring Vusi Mahlasela | 1:59 |
18. | "E Sale Noka" | Mark Kilian, Paul Hepker, Vusi Mahlasela | Vusi Mahlasela and the A-Team | 1:53 |
19. | "Ghetto Scandalous" | Bonginkosi "Zola" Dlamini, Amu, Kabelo "Kaybee" Ikaneng | Zola | 4:46 |
Total length: | 1:08:15 |
Bonginkosi Dlamini, known professionally as Zola 7, is a South African kwaito musician, actor, writer, TV presenter, and poet. Dlamini began his career as an actor, achieving national recognition for the television series, "Yizo Yizo". He also starred in the Academy Award winning film Tsotsi in 2005, for which he also wrote the musical score.
The following lists events that happened during 1967 in South Africa.
Tsotsitaal is a South African vernacular dialect derived from a variety of mixed languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province, but also in other agglomerations all over South Africa. Tsotsi is a Sesotho, Pedi or Tswana slang word for a "thug" or "robber" or "criminal", possibly from the verb "ho lotsa" "to sharpen", whose meaning has been modified in modern times to include "to con"; or from the tsetse fly, as the language was first known as Flytaal, although flaai also means "cool" or "street smart". The word taal in Afrikaans means "language".
Presley Chweneyagae, is a South African actor of Tswana origin. he rose to prominence for his starring role in a film called tsotsi, which won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards. His mother, Agnes Keagile named him after her favourite singer, Elvis Presley. Although he had acted before in plays, Tsotsi was his first feature film. His most recent role is on the South African telenovela, The River as Thuso "Cobra" Mokoena.
Tarzan and the Lost City is a 1998 American adventure film directed by Carl Schenkel, and starring Casper Van Dien and Jane March with Steven Waddington. The screenplay by Bayard Johnson and J. Anderson Black is loosely based on the Tarzan stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film received largely negative reviews and was a box office bomb.
The Honorary Consul is a 1983 British drama film directed by John Mackenzie, and starring Michael Caine, Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins and Elpidia Carrillo. It is based on the 1973 novel The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene.
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema, originally titled Jerusalema, is a 2008 South African crime film written and directed by Ralph Ziman. The film was submitted to the Academy Awards to qualify as a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. It was a box office bomb, grossing only $400,000 against the production budget of $2 million.
Queen of the Mob is a 1940 American film, directed by James P. Hogan.
How to Steal 2 Million is a 2011 South African action drama film, written & directed by Charlie Vundla, produced by Karen E. Johnson, Jeremy Nathan, Mfundi Vundla and Michelle Wheatley and starring John Kani, Hlubi Mboya, Menzi Ngubane, Terry Pheto and Rapulana Seiphemo. The film received 11 nominations and won four awards at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2012, including the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Achievement in Editing.
Moitheri Pheto is a South African actress who is known for starring in an Oscar-winning film Tsotsi (2005) and other South African soapies. She had a recurring role of a heart surgeon, Dr. Malaika Maponya, on the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Terry Pheto is among a group of individuals and companies implicated in the National Lotteries Commission corruption scandal.
Rapulana Seiphemo is a South African actor and filmmaker. He is primarily known for his role as Tau Mogale in the long-running soap opera Generations and its continuation, Generations: The Legacy.
Menzi Ngubane was a South African actor, best known for playing the role of Sibusiso Dlomo in the soap opera Generations from 2003 to 2014. Ngubane played numerous roles on other South African TV shows, including Yizo Yizo, Ashes to Ashes, Gold Diggers, and Heist. In 2016, he joined the cast of the television drama series Isibaya, playing a taxi firm manager with a dubious past.
Abigail Kubheka OIS is a South African singer, songwriter and actress. On the SABC TV series Generations: The Legacy, she plays the role of Zondiwe Mogale, the mother of Tau Mogale and Tshidi Phakade.
Jump the Gun is a 1996 South African film directed by Les Blair for Channel Four Films. The film follows six diverse, working class individuals as they try and establish themselves in the newly democratic South Africa. Les Blair's quintessentially British Kitchen sink realism is applied to a South African context. The film stars Baby Cele, Lionel Newton, and Michele Burgers amongst others. Characters were built from the ground up with South African actors by using improvisation.
The Queen was a South African telenovela that premiered on Mzansi Magic on 1 August 2016 and on Canal Plus in April 2020. It is produced by Ferguson Films, owned by acting veterans Connie Ferguson and her late husband Shona Ferguson. The Queen ran at a 260 episode per season and aired every Monday to Friday at 21h00 on Mzansi Magic.
The River is a South African television drama series created by Phathu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon. An M-Net production by Tshedza Pictures for DStv's general-entertainment subscription channel 1Magic, it is available for streaming on Naspers' Showmax. Reruns began airing weekdays on Mzansi Magic in 2019, and older reruns began airing weekdays on Mzansi Wethu in 2021.
Skeem is a 2011 South African movie that was written and directed by Tim Greene. It premiered on 16 October 2011 at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, where it won the Audience's Choice Award, and opened to local theaters in South Africa later that same month.
Kenneth Nkosi is a South African actor and comedian. He portrayed Aap in the 2005 film Tsotsi (2005). He also appeared in the films White Wedding (2009) and Otelo Burning (2011), as well as Mad Buddies (2012) and Five Fingers for Marseilles (2017). In July 2011, along with Rapulana Seiphemo, he acted on Paradise Stop short film with Rapulana Seiphemo, joined The Queen - portraying the role of Jaros.
Israel Sipho Makoe Matseke-Zulu, is a South African actor, poet and dancer primarily known for his roles in motion pictures like iNumber Number (2013) and its series sequel, Four Corners (2013), Tsotsi (2005), Hard to Get (2014) and Gomora just to mention few.