Production News South Africa

Local production wins at Miami Film Festival

Red Dust, the gripping Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) suspense drama, has been awarded the coveted Audience Prize at the Miami International Film Festival.

The film, which stars two-time Oscar Winner, Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don't Cry), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Love Actually, Dirty Pretty Things) and Jamie Bartlett will be released in South Africa on 6 May 2005.

Producer of Red Dust, Anant Singh says: "This award is indicative of the impact the film has on its audience. Red Dust shows that through the TRC, South Africa was able to emerge victorious against the atrocities of apartheid, and establish a harmonious, peaceful country and we hope that Red Dust plays a role toward conflict resolution around the
world."

Red Dust had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year where it was lauded by critics. Since then, it has been featured in a number of high profile festivals around the world, including the Cape Town World Cinema Festival, the Dubai International Film Festival, the Bangkok Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival and the Human Rights Nights Film Festival in Bologna, Italy.

Directed by Tom Hooper and written by Troy Kennedy-Martin (Italian Job, Bravo Two Zero), Red Dust is a Distant Horizon and BBC Films production in association with Videovision Entertainment and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Ltd and is produced by Anant Singh, Helena Spring, David M. Thompson and Ruth Caleb and executive produced by Sanjeev Singh, Sudhir Pragjee and Joe Oppenheimer. Red Dust was shot in South Africa on location in Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape and in Johannesburg.

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