A locally produced film will soon have its international premiere on the global streaming platform Netflix. The movie, named Santana, was written and edited in Hout Bay and featured a South African crew.
The film was written, directed, and produced by Chris Roland (Darfur, Stander, Die Windpomp) and Maradona Dias Dos Santos. The high energy action film follows law enforcement brothers Dias and Matias as they chase down Ferreira, one of Africa’s most notorious drug lords. As they get closer to Ferreira, the brothers discover he is the same man that murdered their parents thirty-five years ago. But Ferreira has fled from Angola to South Africa, and to get to him Dias and Matias must break the laws they were sworn to protect.
Santana had a 100% South African crew for the Cape Town-based shoots and the 78-person cast was a mix of South African and Angolan actors, including well-known actors like David O’ Hara (Harry Potter, The Departed, Wanted), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean, Black Sails, Hotel Rwanda), Rapulana Seiphemo (Generations, White Wedding), Neide Vieira and Nompilo Gwala, as well as Angolan actors Paulo Americano and Raul Rosario.
Watch the trailer for the movie here:
Director Chris Roland tells Cape Town ETC the film was written, edited and mixed in Hout Bay. It was also filmed in various parts of Cape Town and Angola.
He explains that filmmaker Maradona Dias Dos Santos was inspired to do a crime film based on stories he had heard from his uncle who was a law enforcement officer in Luanda.
“We wanted to make an African action film. It’s pure entertainment with a storyline that also delves into the relationship between estranged brothers Dias and Matias, the two main characters,” Chris tells Cape Town ETC.
The crew spent 27 days filming all around the Mother City, from Constantia and Woodstock to Paarden Eiland, and Gugulethu to the West Coast. They then continued filming in Luanda, Angola.
The film was scheduled to premiere in cinemas on May 15, but COVID-19 prevented that.
“Our distributor Gravel Road had already secured a deal with Netflix, but once we went into lockdown Netflix stepped up to give the film its worldwide premiere. We are forever grateful to Netflix,” added Chris.
The film will premiere worldwide on Netflix on Friday, August 28.
Picture: Facebook / Santana Movie