I’m heading back to the UK tomorrow, and I’ve had the most inspiring few weeks in South Africa. Our Pitch winners are absolutely amazing. Our judges’ panel was unanimous in the selection of an unprecedented two winners!

I’ve had a chance to work with both winners personally and we will continue development work over Skype.

We also presented six Master Classes in Pitching and Adaptation at area film schools. It’s been a whirlwind of activity.  I enjoyed every minute but I must say–  it’s good to be back in my UK home.

In the next couple of weeks, I’m heading off to Belgium to work on a long-running television series.  I’m prepping to return to the USA in the beginning of April.  It seems I’m always on the move… I’m like Waldo! Who knows where I will pop up next.

I do love traveling. It’s one of the perks of my job. I get to go and do what I love in places all around the globe. It’s a real privilege to make new friends and experience different cultures.

But it will be good to get back to the US and have a base near family for the next few months. To quote Ferris Bueller:

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Our full field was relatively small to start (as expected in the first year) but we managed to have six amazing finalists.  Over the course of a long weekend (our residential), we worked with the group and worked individually.

Their three-minute pitches vastly improved from their original submissions. After questions and critiques, their five-minute pitches made a further leap forward. Additional feedback took their following twelve-minute pitches to a solidly professional level.

Quite honestly, each pitch would have been a deserving winner.  In the final analysis, and in an astonishing precedent-breaking development we named two winners. The judging panel was enthusiastically unanimous that both pitches MUST win.  It’s never happened in a decade of competition in the UK, and we certainly never expected it would happen here in SA

It was quite literally a magic moment both for the winners and for the competition.  One winning story (The Second) is set in rural Kwazulu Natal in the dying years of apartheid. It is a profound story of hope in the midst of chaos and violence.  It was pitched by our youngest ever winner, Mpumelelo Kheswa (22) and will be our first ever film in a foreign language (Zulu). The other, pitched by Howard James Fyvie, ( Ramsey) is our first animation and comedy. It retells the story of Abraham and Isaac from the perspective of the ram. “Ramsey” believes he is destined for greatness and that this will be as a stand-up comic. (It is a hilarious dark comedy!)

I am so proud to be working on the development of both short films.

Here are our finalists–

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This week’s quote comes from Rachel Zadok:

If you’re on Pinterest, why not follow my Pinterest board for these weekly motivational posts? It will be updated weekly, so you can keep track of quotes and inspiration I have found uplifting.

Tsotsi

The film, Tsotsi, is an adaptation of an Athol Fugard novel of the same name.  Set in a Johannesburg slum, it tells the story of a young street thug who highjacks a car only to discover a baby in the back seat. The character and film are a classic Power of Will story. It is Tsotsi’s connection with innocence that saves him, even as it triggers his downfall.

The film won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006.

Here is how the production saga began. A British producer and good friend optioned the book.  The biggest challenge was to update the story originally set in the 1950’s. A lot had changed in South Africa since the book’s publication.

The producer and I discussed adaptation issues over the weekend he stayed with us in Santa Monica. I watched A Reasonable Man, starring Gavin Hood.  Gavin was then a little-known writer-director-actor from South Africa. In A Reasonable Man, he plays a Power of Conscience lawyer defending a black cowherd on a murder charge.

The producer and I agreed Gavin would be an interesting choice to direct Tsotsi. I gave a dinner party and Gavin was invited along with my producer friend and a possible production partner. Gavin knew the book and offered some insight into how he would approach writing/directing the adaptation. What a wonderful creative evening!

Along the way, I read script rewrites and looked at dozens of edit versions, including three possible endings. I enjoyed every minute and am so proud to be associated with this wonderful project.  Below is a segment of A Reasonable Man and the pre-Oscar win trailer of Tsotsi.  

I am hoping to discover more breakthrough South African talent while working with young filmmakers in Cape Town and Johannesburg this month.

A Reasonable Man

https://youtu.be/GOgt9j2ZY8o

Tsotsi Trailer

https://youtu.be/rjxLQPumRpc

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I’m in South Africa for a few weeks, and am involved with The Pitch South Africa, an expansion of the “Enter The Pitch” competition that I’ve been involved in for many years now.

I’ve been working with some incredible South African filmmakers, and I’m so inspired by the talent of the finalists both here in South Africa, and back in the UK where this year is going to be the 15th anniversary of Enter The Pitch!

I wanted to share with you our 6 brilliant finalists, pitching their short films based on, or inspired by, The Bible. See what you can take from their pitches for any pitches you might have to make going forward.

We’ll be announcing the winner soon, and I’ll make sure to announce it in an upcoming post.

Relevé

Language of Love

No Where To Run

Black Jackets

The Second

Today

This is the first year launch in South Africa.  Enter the Pitch has been going strong in the UK for about a decade.

In both locations, the competition is the ultimate adaptation challenge.

Entrants are asked to make a two-minute pitch adapting a Bible story, character or situation as a short film for the big screen.  The film can be set in any era (past, present, or future), in any tone or style (thriller, space odyssey, mystery, love story, etc.).  The artistic choices are endless.  The only caveat is the film must stay true to the emotional heart of the original story.

Lust, violence, betrayal, romance, war, murder, fidelity, greed, forgiveness all figure in the collection of books we call the Bible. Every human situation and conflict is represented. The story possibilities are endless.

Successfully adapting one of these stories will teach you how to how to adapt any kind of material.  I am the development consultant and I help the pitch winner every step of the way. It’s a fascinating process and one I hope you consider being a part of.

The UK Enter the Pitch Competition

The SA Enter the Pitch Competition

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The excellent film, Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela is a great study in Power of Conscience leadership.

The Power of Conscience character leads by showing fairness, firmness, consistency, justice and providing a good example.  These leaders believe that they have responsibility for others and a duty to protect the rights of all.  They are particularly sensitive to those who are disenfranchised, disadvantaged, disabled or unable to fight for themselves.  When he defeated the white Afrikaners politically he felt bound to protect their rights and interests as well.  These characters believe that equality and the rule of law is humankind’s salvation.

Power of Conscience leaders tell potential supporters: “Follow me.  I know what’s right.  I will be just.  I will be fair.  I will be responsible.”  They argue:  “Come along and fight the good fight.  Do what is right.  Justice will prevail.  Don’t argue.  I know the right path to take.”

The insistence that they know what is right can get these leaders into trouble with supporters.   This scene in Invictus, illustrates Power of Conscience leadership philosophy very succinctly.

As in Invictus, Power of Conscience characters tend to personalize their work, making their mission to improve the world an inseparable part of their own identity.  In life, Mandela has said:  “The struggle IS my life.”

An unwillingness to compromise on moral ground is the hallmark of these leaders.  In life, Mandela never compromised his principles to avoid punishment.  He refused several opportunities to get out of jail, which required him to recant or renounce one of his stands on justice or equal rights.

The best Power of Conscience leaders are “servant leaders” who have  the humility to serve the greater good of others. Power of Conscience leaders teach their followers to lead by example and to be of service themselves.  This is illustrated in a wonderful scene with Matt Damon, playing Springboks captain Francois Pienaar, where the two men talk of leading by example.  Mandela poses the essential Power of Conscience question, “How do you inspire a people to be better than they think they are?”

Improving themselves, others and the world at large is of paramount importance to Power of Conscience characters.  They are disciplined, principled and challenge others to take the moral high-ground. In life, Mandela has said, “The time is always ripe to do right.”