Mtunzini goes Hollywood
The Zululand Observer was invited to witness some behind the scenes action at the shoot of Roots.
THE normally peaceful air around the shores of the uMlalazi River in Mtunzini has for the past two weeks been punctuated by shouts of ‘camera rolling’ and ‘action!’
A group of around 400 film crew, actors and extras were camped out in the Mtunzini Conservancy between 18 and 28 September.
Mtunzini will feature in scenes of the first of four episodes of the remake of the TV mini-series, Roots.
The original show aired on ABC in 1977 and was based on Alex Haley’s novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, with sequels Roots: The Next Generations and Roots: The Gift that aired in 1979 to critical acclaim.
Roots received 37 Emmy nominations, winning nine awards. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award.
And now this iconic story of a young African slave, Kunta Kinte, who is taken from his home to America and his struggles through life, will be reincarnated.
Local is lekker
‘The locations here are amazing,’ said Film Africa line producer Cheryl Eatock, indicating the scenery around the river.
‘It has been simply incredible. Everyone has been so welcoming, all the authorities have been great.’
Eatock also highlighted the stringent steps taken to keep the environmental footprint to a minimum, which posed a huge challenge owing to the amount of people working in the area.
‘Despite that, everyone has been great. This is a nature reserve, so the crew moving around here is a big deal. But all the authorities have been so good about helping us do what we needed to do without damaging the scenery.
‘We chose Mtunzini because we needed a location that could provide forest and untouched river scenes. We could not have found a better place.’
Business boom
The shoot has brought with it a massive cash injection for businesses in and around Mtunzini.
‘We have spent easily over R2-million to provide accommodation for our crew,’ said Eatock. ‘Almost every bed in Mtunzini, eShowe and Empangeni have been filled with our people.’
To add to this figure, Film Africa has sourced all food and water locally, and paid residents from the community to portray extras.
‘The most important thing is that we have shown once again that in South Africa we can live up to Hollywood expectations.’
The four-episode remake of Roots will air early next year, with newcomer Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte and stars such as Forest Whittaker, Anna Paquin, Anika Noni Rose and Rhys Meyers playing roles.
The shoot has moved to Port Edward and thereafter it will move back to Cape Town before the crew returns to New Orleans.
