UK: "Son of Man" releases in the UK
A bold new film from Golden Bear winning director, Mark Dornford May (“U-Carmen eKhayelitsha” – Golden Bear Berlin, 2005) is being released countrywide from the 7th of March. “Son of Man” is a revolutionary film that explores an interpretation of the Jesus Christ story in a contemporary African context and should spark lively debate about its portrayal both of Christ and of Africa. Released by Spier distribution the film will begin its run at the Rich Mix Centre in Bethnal Green before branching out to sites in Bristol, Edinburgh, Cambridge and elsewhere in the UK.
Press release
“Son of Man”
www.sonofmanmovie.com
Son of Man releases in the UK
A bold new film from Golden Bear winning director, Mark Dornford May (“U-Carmen eKhayelitsha” – Golden Bear Berlin, 2005) is being released countrywide from the 7th of March. “Son of Man” is a revolutionary film that explores an interpretation of the Jesus Christ story in a contemporary African context and should spark lively debate about its portrayal both of Christ and of Africa. Released by Spier distribution the film will begin its run at the Rich Mix Centre in Bethnal Green before branching out to sites in Bristol, Edinburgh, Cambridge and elsewhere in the UK.
“Son of Man” is the second product of the collaboration between Mark Dornford-May and the performing arts group Dimpho di Kopane meaning “combined talents” and backed by Nando’s Arts and the Spier group in South Africa. Dimpho di Kopane are a talented group of performers from the townships around Cape Town who have, under the direction of Mark Dornford May, performed the stage versions of “U-Carmen eKhayelitsha” and “The Mysteries” around the world to huge acclaim.
On the back of the theatrical performances it was decided to make these stage performances into films. The initiative met with great success in the first film “U-Carmen eKhayelitsha” being awarded the Golden Bear in Berlin in 2005 and going on to critical and commercial success thereafter. The second film “Son of Man” had a great outing at the Sundance Festival and received rave reviews from Roger Ebert who called it “extraordinary and powerful”. The Seattle Weekly described it as “More moving than the Last Temptation of Christ and smarter than Mel Gibsons Passion.” Spier Distribution have chosen to launch the film at the Rich Mix Cultural Centre because of its situation at the intersection of a varied cultural milieu who will all find the film appealing. As one would expect from such a film portraying the life of Christ in Africa, there are some strong themes, like the overcoming of violence through passive resistance, which should appeal to all audiences. “Son of Man” releases on the 7th of March at the Rich Mix Cultural Centre, 47 Bethnal Green Road, Bethnal Green E1 6LA and other screening times and venues can be found at www.sonofmanmovie.com