It was a little more than a decade ago when Nigerian movies were considered laughter gags because of how ridiculously bad everything about them was. From painful dialogue, tremendously poor CGI, and acting that makes you laugh at the hilariousness of the movie, Nigerian films or African action/thrillers in general would hardly be taken seriously. However, Donovan Marsh’s 2023 action thriller iNumber Number: Jozi Gold knows exactly what to deliver and how to appeal to an audience that’s used to Hollywood-level action. Starring his usual cast of Clementine Mosimane, S’Dumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Fana Mokoena, Deon Lotz, Noxolo Dlamini, and others, it tells the story of two South African men who grew up in the same orphanage and went into the policing line. Moshoeshoe, aka Shoes, and Chili Ngcobo continuously fail to do anything substantial because of the raging corruption in the high ranks and the administratively suffering condition of the country.
- 6/23/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
Number Number: Jozi Gold is a South African thriller film written and directed by Donovan Marsh, starring S’Dumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, and Brenda Ngxoli.
Netflix is once again supporting the South African film industry, which is making progress with films like this one. The movie has enough elements to entertain the audience and also serves as a critique of the corruption in the country.
The film is not neorealistic, but instead, it is full of action and rhythm, with a style similar to that of Guy Ritchie. It tells the story of crime with excellent production and editing. Although it does not reinvent the thriller genre, it is a perfect product for an industry that needs to showcase its talent, which is evident in this film directed by Donovan Marsh.
The film starts with a lot of rhythm, slows down intentionally, and then picks up again. It is a socially...
Netflix is once again supporting the South African film industry, which is making progress with films like this one. The movie has enough elements to entertain the audience and also serves as a critique of the corruption in the country.
The film is not neorealistic, but instead, it is full of action and rhythm, with a style similar to that of Guy Ritchie. It tells the story of crime with excellent production and editing. Although it does not reinvent the thriller genre, it is a perfect product for an industry that needs to showcase its talent, which is evident in this film directed by Donovan Marsh.
The film starts with a lot of rhythm, slows down intentionally, and then picks up again. It is a socially...
- 6/23/2023
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Wrekin Hill Entertainment has acquired all North American rights to Donovan Marsh’s South Africa-set heist thriller iNumber Number.
Marsh wrote the screenplay about an undercover officer who takes part in a one-off heist to get back at corrupt superiors.
S’dumo Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae star. Quizzical Pictures’ Harriet Gavshon, Jp Potgier, Marsh and Mariki Van Der Walt produced and Nim Geva and Owen Kessel are the executive producers.
Wrekin plans a limited theatrical day-and-date release in spring and president and CEO Chris Ball and director of acquisitions Rene Cogan brokered the deal with Nate Bolotin and Aram Tertzakian for Xyz Films.
Universal recently picked up remake rights to the recent Toronto world premiere and Chris Morgan Productions and Xyz Films will produce.
Marsh wrote the screenplay about an undercover officer who takes part in a one-off heist to get back at corrupt superiors.
S’dumo Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae star. Quizzical Pictures’ Harriet Gavshon, Jp Potgier, Marsh and Mariki Van Der Walt produced and Nim Geva and Owen Kessel are the executive producers.
Wrekin plans a limited theatrical day-and-date release in spring and president and CEO Chris Ball and director of acquisitions Rene Cogan brokered the deal with Nate Bolotin and Aram Tertzakian for Xyz Films.
Universal recently picked up remake rights to the recent Toronto world premiere and Chris Morgan Productions and Xyz Films will produce.
- 10/31/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Wrekin Hill Entertainment - the company that picked up Gallowwalkers, which stars Wesley Snipes, and released it in the USA this summer, has done the same for South African action/drama iNumber Number, directed by Donovan Marsh, which stars Sdumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Israel Makoe, Hlubi Mboya, and Owen Sejake. This news comes on the hills of yesterday's news that Universal Pictures has picked up remake rights to the film, with plans to produce an American version, with Chris Morgan (Fast & Furious flicks scribe), and his partner Emile Gladstone, adapting.Both news items come a month after the...
- 10/31/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Wrekin Hill Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the South African-set thriller iNumber Number. The film, directed by Donovan Marsh and starring S’dumo Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae, had its world premiere at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival in September. Photos: Second Time's the Charm: 15 of Hollywood's Most Notable Remakes Wrekin Hill is looking towards a nationwide limited theatrical day-and-date release in the Spring of 2014. The film was produced by Quizzical Pictures’ Harriet Gavshon, Jp Potgier, Marsh and Mariki Van Der Walt, and executive produced by Nim Geva and Owen Kessel. The story follows an honest
read more...
read more...
- 10/31/2013
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A surprising move here by Universal. It's not often that South African films are remade by Hollywood studios. I'll have to research, but this just might be a first, or, at least, a very rare buy. The studio has announced that it picked up the remake rights to the South African action/drama iNumber Number, directed by Donovan Marsh (his third feature directorial effort), which stars Sdumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Israel Makoe, Hlubi Mboya, and Owen Sejake. This is a month after the film World Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was picked up by Fortissimo Films. The company acquired worldwide distribution...
- 10/30/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Ahead of its Toronto world premiere, Fortissimo Films has closed an all rights worldwide deal (excluding North America and South Africa) for iNumber Number by writer/director Donovan Marsh.
Xyz handles North America.
iNumber Number, which is local slang for ‘pulling a number,’ is a heist thriller with an ensemble cast led by S’dumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Israel Makoe, Owen Sejake, Brandon Auret and Daniel Hadebe.
Indigenous Films will release in South Africa in the first quarter of 2014.
Producers are Harriet Gavshon, Jp Potgieter, Donovan Marsh, Mariki Van Der Walt and executive producers are Harriet Gavshon, Donovan Marsh, Nim Geva, Owen Kessel.
The film shot in Soweto, Johanesburg and Hartbeespoort Dam.
It premieres in Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema section.
The deal was negotiated between Fortissimo’s Chairman Michael J. Werner and Winnie Lau, Executive Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions with Harriet Gavshon and Donovan Marsh of Quizzical Pictures.
Lau said: “From...
Xyz handles North America.
iNumber Number, which is local slang for ‘pulling a number,’ is a heist thriller with an ensemble cast led by S’dumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Israel Makoe, Owen Sejake, Brandon Auret and Daniel Hadebe.
Indigenous Films will release in South Africa in the first quarter of 2014.
Producers are Harriet Gavshon, Jp Potgieter, Donovan Marsh, Mariki Van Der Walt and executive producers are Harriet Gavshon, Donovan Marsh, Nim Geva, Owen Kessel.
The film shot in Soweto, Johanesburg and Hartbeespoort Dam.
It premieres in Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema section.
The deal was negotiated between Fortissimo’s Chairman Michael J. Werner and Winnie Lau, Executive Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions with Harriet Gavshon and Donovan Marsh of Quizzical Pictures.
Lau said: “From...
- 9/5/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Fortissimo Films has acquired worldwide rights for South African film iNumber Number, which premieres at Toronto.
Ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), Fortissimo Films has closed an all rights worldwide deal (excluding North America and South Africa) for the South African film iNumber Number,directed by Donovan Marsh.
The heist thriller stars S’dumo Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae (Tsotsi), Israel Makoe (Tsotsi), Owen Sejake (Tsotsi), Brandon Auret (District 9) and Daniel Hadebe (District 9).
The film is scheduled for release in South Africa in Q1 of 2014 by Indigenous Films.
It is produced by Harriet Gavshon, Jp Potgieter, Donovan Marsh, Mariki Van Der Walt and executive produced by Harriet Gavshon, Donovan Marsh, Nim Geva, Owen Kessel.
Filmed in Soweto, Johanesburg and Hartbeespoort Dam, cinematography was handled by Tom Marais and production design by Chantel Carter.
The film will have its world premiere at the Contemporary World Cinema section at Tiff.
The deal was...
Ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), Fortissimo Films has closed an all rights worldwide deal (excluding North America and South Africa) for the South African film iNumber Number,directed by Donovan Marsh.
The heist thriller stars S’dumo Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae (Tsotsi), Israel Makoe (Tsotsi), Owen Sejake (Tsotsi), Brandon Auret (District 9) and Daniel Hadebe (District 9).
The film is scheduled for release in South Africa in Q1 of 2014 by Indigenous Films.
It is produced by Harriet Gavshon, Jp Potgieter, Donovan Marsh, Mariki Van Der Walt and executive produced by Harriet Gavshon, Donovan Marsh, Nim Geva, Owen Kessel.
Filmed in Soweto, Johanesburg and Hartbeespoort Dam, cinematography was handled by Tom Marais and production design by Chantel Carter.
The film will have its world premiere at the Contemporary World Cinema section at Tiff.
The deal was...
- 9/5/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Looking for an under the radar title that could break out from the crowded field at the Toronto International Film Festival? Donovan Marsh's South African heist film iNumber Number looks like it could be the one. Gritty and stylish action knows no boundaries and this one promises plenty of that. The festival describes the film like this:Chili (S'dumo Mtshali) and Shoes (Presley Chweneyagae) have been partners in the police force for eight years. After they make a risky arrest, their corrupt superior refuses to give them the reward they are due. Enraged, Chili realizes that virtue does not pay and sets about infiltrating a gang of armoured car thieves. His scheme goes awry when the rest of the gang finds out his true identity. They...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/31/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Titled iNumber Number, the violent action/drama from South African filmmaker Donovan Marsh (his third feature directorial effort), stars Sdumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Israel Makoe, Hlubi Mboya, and Owen Sejake. Here's a synopsis: When Chili Ngcobo, an honest but ambitious undercover cop, is cheated out of a major reward by his corrupt superiors, he infiltrates a cash-in-transit heist gang, and instead of busting them, he decides to participate in a one off score. He must face off against his partner who refuses to let him do it and one of the gang members who recognizes him as a cop. The film is set to make its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film...
- 8/16/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Black South African cinema continues to excite and intrigue, especially for the uninitiated like myself, who are gradually getting familiar with the country's offerings. I'll leave the pro stuff to our friends at Africa Is A Country who cover politics, sports, entertainment, and more, for all of the African continent, with a special emphasis on South Africa. In the meantime, here's a trailer for an upcoming South African action drama I was just alerted to titled Zama Zama, from Kokamoya Productions, directed by Vickus Strijdom, and starring Lindani Nkosi, Presley Chweneyagae, Khulu M Skenjana, Renate Stuurman, Fumani Shilubana, Lebogang Inno, Mfundo Mdlalose,...
- 7/9/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.
Sorry, folks… there are simply too many great films streaming this week to post an image for them all, but that’s a good thing, eh? You’ve got your movie watching work cut out for you, due in great part to Miramax releasing damn near their entire catalog of films on one day!
B. Monkey (1999)
Streaming Available: 05/01/2011
Director: Michael Radford
Synopsis: Good-hearted schoolteacher Alan Furnace (Jared Harris) desperately wants some excitement in his life — and he may just get some. One lonely night at a London bar, Alan spies the raven-haired beauty Beatrice (Asia Argento) arguing with two friends, Paul (Rupert Everett) and Bruno (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). Beatrice quickly befriends Alan and...
Sorry, folks… there are simply too many great films streaming this week to post an image for them all, but that’s a good thing, eh? You’ve got your movie watching work cut out for you, due in great part to Miramax releasing damn near their entire catalog of films on one day!
B. Monkey (1999)
Streaming Available: 05/01/2011
Director: Michael Radford
Synopsis: Good-hearted schoolteacher Alan Furnace (Jared Harris) desperately wants some excitement in his life — and he may just get some. One lonely night at a London bar, Alan spies the raven-haired beauty Beatrice (Asia Argento) arguing with two friends, Paul (Rupert Everett) and Bruno (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). Beatrice quickly befriends Alan and...
- 4/29/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Tsotsi (2005) Direction: Gavin Hood Cast: Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Terry Pheto, Jerry Mofokeng, Nambitha Mpumlwana, Rapulana Seiphemo Screenplay: Gavin Hood; from Athol Fugard's novel Oscar Movies, European Film Award Movies Recommended with Reservations Presley Chweneyagae, Tsotsi Mostly spoken in Tsotsi Taal, or "gangster dialect," Tsotsi is the tale of a Johannesburg shantytown hoodlum nicknamed Tsotsi, or "Thug," who rediscovers his humanity after accidentally kidnapping an infant during a carjacking. The premise, of course, is totally absurd* (see below). Director-writer Gavin Hood's screenplay — based on Athol Fugard's significantly more downbeat Apartheid-era novel — never convincingly explains why the brutal, heartless Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) would want to keep the child. True, the baby is a reminder of his long-buried childhood — he had lost his mother to AIDS and had suffered at the hand of his alcoholic father — but by keeping the baby Tsotsi is putting his own life at risk...
- 3/9/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It was a matter of time before someone invented Sollywood, but making only positive films is an artistic straitjacket
There's Hollywood, and Bollywood, and Nollywood (Nigeria's nascent film industry), so perhaps it was only a matter of time before someone invented Sollywood. This is the name of what aspires to be a new movement in film-making in South Africa.
The Sollywood website sets out an agenda that includes: making films on topics important to the South African community, making movies that end on a positive note for the community and the African people and, in capital letters, "Make Africans Feel Good About Being Africans".
Last week I caught the first Sollywood offering, Ingxoxo: The Negotiation – a romantic comedy but not as Richard Curtis would know it. The plot turns on the African custom of lobola, in which the family of a bride is compensated for her loss with a payment,...
There's Hollywood, and Bollywood, and Nollywood (Nigeria's nascent film industry), so perhaps it was only a matter of time before someone invented Sollywood. This is the name of what aspires to be a new movement in film-making in South Africa.
The Sollywood website sets out an agenda that includes: making films on topics important to the South African community, making movies that end on a positive note for the community and the African people and, in capital letters, "Make Africans Feel Good About Being Africans".
Last week I caught the first Sollywood offering, Ingxoxo: The Negotiation – a romantic comedy but not as Richard Curtis would know it. The plot turns on the African custom of lobola, in which the family of a bride is compensated for her loss with a payment,...
- 5/6/2010
- by David Smith
- The Guardian - Film News
Akeelah And The Bee was the big winner at the 2006 Black Movie Awards on Sunday, taking home four awards. The film, which follows a young girl's journey to the National Spelling Bee, was named Outstanding Motion Picture, and won acting awards for lead actress Keke Palmer and supporting actors Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. Other winners include actor Presley Chweneyagae for his role in the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi and director Spike Lee for Inside Man. The 2006 Black Movie Awards will air tomorrow on US network TNT.
- 10/18/2006
- WENN
TORONTO -- Tsotsi, the British-South African drama about six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader, captured the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, which closed Saturday. "That was agony", an emotional Hood told an awards gathering Saturday afternoon. He paid particular tribute to the film's star, Presley Chweneyagae, a first-time film actor. The runner-up film for the People's Choice Award was Mother of Mine, a drama about a mother and son in war-torn Finland. Other award winners included the Discovery Award, voted on by the festival's press corps, going to Look Both Ways, from Australian director Sarah Watt, and the FIPRESCI Prize being awarded to South Korean director Kang Yi-kwan for SA-KWA, which had its world premiere here.
- 9/17/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- Tsotsi, the British-South African drama about six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader, captured the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, which closed Saturday. "That was agony", an emotional Hood told an awards gathering Saturday afternoon. He paid particular tribute to the film's star, Presley Chweneyagae, a first-time film actor. The runner-up film for the People's Choice Award was Mother of Mine, a drama about a mother and son in war-torn Finland. Other award winners included the Discovery Award, voted on by the festival's press corps, going to Look Both Ways, from Australian director Sarah Watt, and the FIPRESCI Prize being awarded to South Korean director Kang Yi-kwan for SA-KWA, which had its world premiere here.
- 9/17/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- "Tsotsi" means "thug" in the patois of South Africa's townships, and it also is the name of the title character in writer-director Gavin Hood's tough-minded film about a young man fighting against his own history of violence.
Brutal but believable, the film in some ways harks back to early Hollywood, when Jimmy Cagney or Richard Widmark played callow villains out of their depth in everyday life. With its highly original setting, "Tsotsi" will appeal to fans of thoughtful crime pictures beyond the festival and art house circuits.
The movie screened in London and was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It also will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Seldom has the desperate poverty of the shantytowns that sprawl beside cities such as Johannesburg been shown so vividly as in Hood's fast-moving story about a fearsome gang leader (Presley Chweneyagae) who unexpectedly discovers a kind of life different from one of violent crime.
Tsotsi leads a gang of vicious petty thieves but is frustrated by their pointless existence, and one day his anger explodes; he turns on one of them and beats him to a pulp. Horrified by his own behavior, Tsotsi flees until he finds himself in a wealthy part of the city.
In pouring rain, he spots a woman pulling up to her garage door. Almost without thinking, he does what comes naturally and steals the car at gunpoint, wounding the woman in the process. Racing away, Tsotsi hears a baby crying in the back seat and totals the car.
The young criminal's reaction when he finds himself taking care of the infant after the crash and the impact it has on his violent life makes for a winning tale. When he encounters a young mother (Terry Pheto) in the ghetto and she responds to his plight, the story becomes both darker and more absorbing.
Hood's filmmaking is accomplished, Lance Gewer's cinematography exceptional and there are fine performances throughout, especially by Chweneyagae as the memorably tortured young Tsotsi.
Brutal but believable, the film in some ways harks back to early Hollywood, when Jimmy Cagney or Richard Widmark played callow villains out of their depth in everyday life. With its highly original setting, "Tsotsi" will appeal to fans of thoughtful crime pictures beyond the festival and art house circuits.
The movie screened in London and was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It also will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Seldom has the desperate poverty of the shantytowns that sprawl beside cities such as Johannesburg been shown so vividly as in Hood's fast-moving story about a fearsome gang leader (Presley Chweneyagae) who unexpectedly discovers a kind of life different from one of violent crime.
Tsotsi leads a gang of vicious petty thieves but is frustrated by their pointless existence, and one day his anger explodes; he turns on one of them and beats him to a pulp. Horrified by his own behavior, Tsotsi flees until he finds himself in a wealthy part of the city.
In pouring rain, he spots a woman pulling up to her garage door. Almost without thinking, he does what comes naturally and steals the car at gunpoint, wounding the woman in the process. Racing away, Tsotsi hears a baby crying in the back seat and totals the car.
The young criminal's reaction when he finds himself taking care of the infant after the crash and the impact it has on his violent life makes for a winning tale. When he encounters a young mother (Terry Pheto) in the ghetto and she responds to his plight, the story becomes both darker and more absorbing.
Hood's filmmaking is accomplished, Lance Gewer's cinematography exceptional and there are fine performances throughout, especially by Chweneyagae as the memorably tortured young Tsotsi.
- 8/30/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.