Cape Town-based Isango Ensemble and Advantage Entertainment have joined forces once again with London's Film and Music Entertainment on a brand new project, as well as a development slate for further films. The news comes hard on the heels of the announcement last week that Fortissimo Films have taken on international sales for their most recent co-venture Breathe-Umphefumlo an adaptation of Puccini's La Boheme, which has its world premiere in Official Selection - Berlinale Special tomorrow.
Further to the partnership on La Boheme, the three companies will co-produce another classic from the canon of music John Gay's The Beggar's Opera to shoot in Cape Town in August.
The Beggar's Opera, (Ibali Loo Tstotsi) loosely inspired by the very first ever musical' by John Gay. This time Isango will transport Gay's 1728 satire/morality play to the jazzy Dockland underworld of 1950's Cape Town - a place where nobody plays by the rules, least of all Macheath - bandit, hedonist, superhero to some, villain to others. Macheath has married Polly Peachum. But he fancies Lucy Lockit. Lucy Lockit fancies Macheath, but Polly doesnt want to share. Mr Peachum wants Macheaths head, and so does Mr Lockit. And so does the law. With so many enemies, its hard to tell who your friends are.
In this new version by leading South African/British musical director Mark Dornford May, who won the Golden Bear in Berlin for his township adaptation of Bizet's Carmen - U Carmen eKhayelitsha (also sold by Fortissimo), the old story is given new life in this dark, seedy, absurd, visually rich and cruelly comic world where men are men, women are women - and it's dog eat dog!
The Beggar's Opera, said Dornford-May, is a savagely funny satire on money, morals and marriage, -as relevant and biting today as it was when first written. Setting the film in post war colonial Cape Town will give it a visual style and a music flair that will inform the original - and take it further.
Of the stage show - The Guardian noted: succeeds in catching the works switch in tone from carnivalesque to mock tragedy...I felt the work had acquired an urgent, specifically South African resonance... the singing is magnificent... I came out having had a thoroughly good time.
2015 will also see the Isango Company follow up their sell-out 2014 US tour with another visit to the United States, as well as an invitation to return to Paris in 2016 to revive their hugely successful stage version of Carmen at the site of its original performance at the Opera Comique in Paris. Discussions are also underway with the Benjamin Britten Foundation to stage Britten's seminal adaptation (with a book by Peter Pears) of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
We have a number of other film ideas in development, said F&ME producer Mike Downey, and we will be pursuing these over the period that we will be making The Beggar's Opera, including a unique idea Mark has to adapt Bram Stoker's Dracula to a South African context. What is unusual and unique about the Isango Company, is that unlike other film collaborations it is a constant and ongoing creative hothouse of theatre, music and ideas which are constantly being work-shopped and developed, making it a rich creative and inspiring seam of potential movies.
About Isango Ensemble
The South African company Isango Ensemble is based in Cape Town. The core of the company was formed by director Mark Dornford-May and music director and singer Pauline Malefane in 2000. The company predominantly draws performers from across the townships surrounding the city. The company's work to date has focused on re-imagining classics from the Western theatre canon, finding a new context for the stories within a South African or township setting, and creating new work, which is relevant to the heritage of the nation. www.isangoensemble.com
About Film and Music Entertainment
Co-founded by Mike Downey and Sam Taylor in 2000, Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME) is a UK independent production company. Over the last 15 years, the company has produced more than 50 feature films, along with company chairman and four - time Academy Award nominee, Stephen Daldry. F&ME's extraordinarily eclectic catalogue has become synonymous over the years with the production of quality international feature films from a wide variety of British, European, American, South African and Antipodean authors including his partnership with the VICE group: WHITE LIGHTNIN', Saul Metzstein's, Jason Biggs starrer GUY X, DEATHWATCH (Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis), U.S. Academy Award nominated and Venice Golden Lion winning BEFORE THE RAIN and a slew of international co-productions written by Nobel Prize Winner G nter Grass, Schindler's List author Thomas Keneally, the Demon Dog that is James Ellroy and Clifford (HOAX) Irving. His award winning South African production SON OF MAN, premiered at Sundance, as did WHITE LIGHTNIN' while LOVING GLANCES, opened the Venice Film Festival. His production of Mohsen Makhmalbaf's THE PRESIDENT also opened the 2014 Venice Film Festival.
About Advantage Entertainment
Founded and run by Vlokkie Gordon, ADVANTAGE ENTERTAINMENT has a close association with Silverline360 - http://silverline360.com (Media Film Services, Searle Street Post, The Refinery and Movie Mart). Advantage's alliance with South Africa's largest and pre-eminent Film Studio, Equipment Hire Company and Post-Production Facility places the company in the unique position to provide the full suite of production services, and offers the value add of sourcing SA finance. The company is based at Cape Town Film Studios. In a career spanning 30 years in the entertainment industry, and numerous international co-productions, as a producer her specific skill-set is Finance Struc
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Cape Town-based Isango Ensemble and Advantage Entertainment have joined forces once again with London's Film and Music Entertainment on a brand new project, as well as a development slate for further films. The news comes hard on the heels of the announcement last week that Fortissimo Films have taken on international sales for their most recent co-venture Breathe-Umphefumlo an adaptation of Puccini's La Boheme, which has its world premiere in Official Selection - Berlinale Special tomorrow.
