WELCOME TO SOLLYWOOD!
ON DECEMBER 18, INDIEPIX FILMS DELIVERS
THREE MORE APARTHEID-ERA SOUTH AFRICAN CLASSICS
IN THE “RETRO AFRIKA COLLECTION”
CHARLIE STEEL
REVENGE
THE COMEDIANS
Rarely Seen Outside South African Borders, These Three Digitally-Restored
Genre Films Will Be Available on DVD ($24.95srp each), VOD and Digital,
as Well the SVOD Service,IndiePix Unlimited
This December, IndiePix Films delivers three more genre classics in the recently launched RETRO AFRIKA COLLECTION, featuring the forgotten and discarded classics of African cinema. From light-hearted comedies, high-octane action films and provocative race dramas that were met with opposition from the apartheid government, these newly restored, small-budget films from Retro Afrika Bioscope, a label dedicated to restoring and re-releasing retro South African films from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, have rarely been seen outside their borders.
Paying homage to Hollywood action in groundbreaking B-movie style, the next trench of Apartheid-era films, which have all have undergone a highly-specialized digital restoration process for optimal viewing, includes CHARLIE STEEL, a thrilling lo-fi caper, the Zulu western, REVENGE, and the crime comedy THE COMEDIANS. They will all be available on December 18 on DVD ($24.95each), VOD and Digital, as well as IndiePix Films signature streaming service, IndiePix Unlimited on Amazon Channels or at IndiePixUnlimited.com.
CHARLIE STEEL (1984) — When Dlamini’s daughter, Dudu, is kidnapped for ransom, he calls on his old friend Charlie Steel, a renowned private investigator. Charlie attempts to infiltrate the gang responsible, but is soon exposed by Jimmy, one of his ex-army comrades and a vicious murderer. With help from gang member Tony, who has fallen in love with Dudu, Charlie manages to take the gang down, but at what cost? Sol Rachilo is Charlie Steel, in this thriller written and directed by Bevis Parsons. (Zulu with English subtitles, 87 mins.)
REVENGE (1985) — In the old African Wild West, a peace-loving family man moves to a vacant farm in search of a new life, but his hopes are shattered when his son is badly beaten and his wife murdered by a gang of ruthless thugs. Left for dead in the dirt, he’s nursed back to health by a good Samaritan, who also happens to be a deadly ex-gunslinger, who agrees to train the man in the art of revenge in this intense Zulu Western. Direced by Coenie Dippenaar, REVENGE stars Alex Ngubane, Roy Dlamini, Vuzi Gudazi and Emmanual Shangasi. (Zulu with English subtitles, 56 mins.)
THE COMEDIANS (Circa 1980) – When Ace Bhona uses his friend’s magic ring under false pretenses to make himself a wealthy man, his greed and desire for more soon becomes uncontrollable. He hires a group of thugs to steal from his friend, hoping to possess the ring for himself. But the friend has a trick of his own up his sleeve, and counters Bhona’s greed with a curse. And when Bhona awakes the following day to discover that his ill-gotten wealth and possessions have turned to dust, with the police knocking on his door, where can he possibly turn? From director Japie can der Merwe comes this raucous, caper comedy starring Moses Makhathini and Matthews Monica (Zulu with English subtitles.
Looking for a deeper dive into Sollywood? Don’t miss the first three RETRO AFRIKA titles, all available now, including UMBANGO, one of the first Zulu Westerns and an Official Selection at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival, and FISHY STONES and GONE CRAZY, two outsized, humorous crime capers.
