Tsotsi (2005)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Gavin Hood

Writers:

Athol Fugard (novel)
Gavin Hood (written by)

Release Date:

23 December 2005 (South Africa)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

In this world... redemption just comes once.

Plot:

Six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader (Chweneyagae).

Plot Keywords:

Baby | Criminal | Change | Robbery | Blood

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Presley Chweneyagae	...	David / Tsotsi
Terry Pheto	...	Miriam
Kenneth Nkosi	...	Aap
Mothusi Magano	...	Boston
Zenzo Ngqobe	...	Butcher
Zola	...	Fela
Rapulana Seiphemo	...	John Dube
Nambitha Mpumlwana	...	Pumla Dube
Jerry Mofokeng	...	Morris
Ian Roberts	...	Captain Smit
Percy Matsemela	...	Sergeant Zuma
Thembi Nyandeni	...	Soekie
Owen Sejake	...	Gumboot Dlamini
Israel Makoe	...	David / Tsotsi's father
Sindi Khambule	...	David / Tsotsi's Mother
Benny Moshe	...	Young David / Tsotsi
Bheki Vilakazi	...	Newspaper Vendor
Craig Palm	...	Young Cop
Jeremiah Ndlovu	...	Old Man at the Tap
Sibusiso Mkize	...	Young Aap
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mbali Khumalo
Marven Lekohotsa
Capieus Manamela	...	Gang
Lennox Mathabathe	...	Policemen
Katleoo Matidune	...	Little boy
Joyce Moshoshoe	...	Gang
Edward Oliphant	...	Gang
Brian Rolfe	...	Officer
Tumi Sejake	...	Little girl
Monthuthu Sibisi	...	Baby
Ntuthuko Sibisi	...	Baby
Ismael Songo	...	Gang
Moses Timati	...	Gang
Lindokuhle Tloubatla	...	Myriam's Baby
Samuel Tsebe	...	Old kid
Enoch Tsotetsi	...	Gang
Eduan van Jaarsveldt	...	Policeman

Directed by
Gavin Hood

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Athol Fugard		novel
Gavin Hood		written by

Produced by
Sam Bhembe	....	executive producer
Joseph D'Morais	....	executive producer
Janine Eser	....	associate producer
Liza Essers	....	co-executive producer
Basil Ford	....	executive producer
Henrietta Fudakowski	....	associate producer
Peter Fudakowski	....	producer
Alan Howden	....	executive producer
Gavin Joubert	....	line producer
Robert Little	....	executive producer (as Robbie Little)
Rupert Lywood	....	executive producer
Doug Mankoff	....	executive producer
Paul Raleigh	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Paul Hepker
Mark Kilian

Cinematography by
Lance Gewer

Film Editing by
Megan Gill

Casting by
Moonyeenn Lee

Production Design by
Emilia Roux		(as Emelia Weavind)

Art Direction by
Mark Walker

Set Decoration by
Nhlanhla Bhengu

Costume Design by
Nadia Kruger
Pierre Vienings

Makeup Department
Tania Brooke	....	key hair stylist
Tania Brooke	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Nerissa Black	....	post-production manager
Candice Tennant	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Kellond	....	first assistant director
Phillip Mosoeu	....	third assistant director
Dylan Speer	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Francis Grewe	....	construction foreman
Michael Hyman	....	lead scenic
Charles Keylock	....	graffiti artist
Raymond Muller	....	construction foreman
Luke Searle	....	graffiti artist
James Lee Taylor	....	property master (as James Taylor)
Jonathan Hely-Hutchinson	....	draftsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Shaun Murdoch	....	sound mixer
Jim Petrak	....	adr engineer
Jim Petrak	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alexander Saacks	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeremy Saacks	....	sound re-recording mixer
Julie Vandenberg	....	supervising sound editor (as Juli Vandenberg)

Special Effects by
Davin Dullisear	....	special effects foreman
Cordell McQueen	....	special effects coordinator
Graham Press	....	prosthetics

Visual Effects by
Isaac Lui	....	lead animator
Cyril Schumann	....	lead effects compositor

Stunts
Vadim Dobrin	....	stunts
Kerry Gregg	....	stunts
Cordell McQueen	....	stunt coordinator
Wayne Smith	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Marc Brower	....	camera operator
Sarel Pretorius	....	steadicam operator
Deon Vermeulen	....	Steadicam operator
Oliver Wilter	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gillian Castle	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
George Chavez	....	color timer
Brett Manson	....	digital intermediate colorist
Louise Mycielski	....	post-production coordinator
Pravashanee Reddy	....	first assistant editor
Carina Steyl	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Casey Stone	....	music scoring mixer

Other crew
Mia Bays	....	marketing and distribution
Maureen Conway	....	script supervisor
Janine Eser	....	script editor
Jaco Espach	....	location manager
Henrietta Fudakowski	....	script editor
Monica Keys	....	production coordinator
Hakan Kousetta	....	production legal advisor
Cyril Schumann	....	title designer
Pete Smith	....	chief armorer
Laura Vogt	....	production accountant
Leila Wreyford	....	title designer

Thanks
Matthew W. Davis	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• The UK Film & TV Production Company PLC
• Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
• The National Film and Video Foundation of SA
• Moviworld (in association with)
• Tsotsi Films

Distributors

• Ster-Kinekor Pictures (2005) (South Africa) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Kinowelt Filmverleih (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Moonlight Films (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Rialto Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Impuls Home Entertainment (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Momentum Pictures (2006) (UK) (all media)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Nikkatsu (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• Group Power (2006) (Taiwan) (all media)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Award Winning Collection)
• Pinema (2006) (Turkey) (all media)
• Vendetta Films (2005) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Verenigde Arbeiders Radio Amateurs (VARA) (2008) (Netherlands) (TV)

Other Companies

• Chris Fellows Sound Studios  optical sound negative
• Chris Fellows Sound Studios  sound post production
• Film Lab, The  negative processing
• Milan Records  soundtrack
• Video Lab  dailies transfer
• Video Lab  digital intermediate

Also Known As:

Thug (International: English title) (literal English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some strong violent content.

Runtime:

USA:94 min | Canada:94 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | South Africa

Language:

Zulu | Xhosa | Afrikaans | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Japan:R-15 | South Korea:15 | Norway:15 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Company:

The UK Film & TV Production Company PLC

Trivia:

This is the first Miramax release since founders Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein left the company.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Tsotsi enters the room of the kidnapped child, you can see (on the right hand side) that the wall paper is false.

Quotes:

Morris: [after hearing a defining moment in Tsotsi/David's childhood] What kind of bastard would break a dog's back?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: Two Sides of a Story: The Making of 'Rendition' (#14.25)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Zingu 7

Truly Moving Picture

I saw this film on January 19th, 2006 in Indianapolis. I am one of the judges for the Heartland Film Festival that screens films for their Truly Moving Picture Award. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Heartland gave that award to this film.

Tsotsi is a leader of an informal black criminal gang in South Africa. They are simply awful and inhuman and cruel and uncaring. We may understand why they act this way as we see the segregated black slums they live in, and, through flashbacks, their orphan-like upbringing, but you can't bring yourself to forgive them for what they have become. They are some of the worst thugs of the earth.

And then, a tipping point moment comes to the leader Tsotsi. As he commits a car theft from a wealthy neighborhood, he unknowingly kidnaps a baby. He can't bring himself to let the baby die.

Tsotsi clumsily attends to the baby in his small, tin can slum house. He becomes a hybrid human; that is, half good and half evil.

The drama of the film is the tension of not knowing how he will turn out. And he surely can go either way. His gang of friends are a noticeable contrast to where Tsotsi's head and morality is. They are pure evil.

The movie is sub-titled but there is not much dialog among these uneducated almost simpleminded underclass of young men. The powerful impact on the screen is created by the sordid environment and the realism in the facial expressions of the gang. The film is also driven cleverly by the African hip-hop like music.

The film looks at the question whether the worst of our humans on earth can change and tip back into being civilized.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.