GEORGE NEWS - A screenwriter from Durbanville and former Kwagga, Polani Fourie, is one of the first two South Africans awarded a partial scholarship to attend the Rocaberti Writers' Retreat in France.
Her mentors will include film notables like Stephen Spielberg's writer James Khan, Linda Seger, Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) and movie producer Golan Ramraz (Iron Man, Mr and Mrs Smith).
Fourie, who lives in Cape Town with her husband Hein and children Neziah (9), Michielani (6) and Ellah (4), is on track with a film project which will be shot in George. Unite - The Impossible Possibility is an inspirational drama and a true story that will prove the positive changes in South Africa to the rest of the world. This film project has also recently been approved by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) for development financing - quite a feat in the film and TV industry.
The film attracted the attention of the South African director, Frans Cronjé (Faith like Potatoes, Born to Win and Hansie ), as well as an international director whose name cannot be revealed at this stage. Some of the background scenes will be filmed in George because one of the roleplayers, Dr Dries du Toit, has a personal history connected to George.
"The story I presented to them is about the Vryburg Model of Change and the journey of its heroes - a story that the broadcasters of the UK, Norway, Sweden and America were after with all their might a few years back. They did not manage to acquire the rights and I am happy to say that I did," says Polani.
More info on the project can be found at https://www.facebook.com/UniteFilm. Polani is also involved with other local productions such as a new carbon footprint reality TV Series, The Re-Project, with the Survivor SA production company Afrokaans and Nico Panagio as presenter.
Crowd Funding
A partial scholarship means she needs to fork out a big amount herself, so she needs to come up with creative ways real fast. She has set up a crowdfunding campaign to help provide. Anyone who wants to contribute towards the costs of her attending the Rocaberti Writers Retreat in France, can use the following link: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/screenwriters-mentoring-opportunity-with.
ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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