The trailer for the highly anticipated legacy film, Poppie Nongena, has been released and you can view it either online or below. The film, which won twelve awards at the recent Silwerskerm Film Festival, is based on the novel The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena by Elsa Joubert. Deeply rooted in South Africa’s history, it will be released nationwide in cinemas on 31 January 2020.

Poppie Nongena tells the story of  a South African isiXhosa mother whose life revolves around finding stability for her family during a period of extreme upheaval in the country when black women were forced by arrests, fines and forced removal, to leave their homes and resettle in remote areas designated as black homelands. When her husband, Stone, becomes too ill to work, Poppie is deemed by law to be an “illegal” resident in her own country.

The producer, acclaimed film maker, Helena Spring, said that the film Poppie Nongena is particularly relevant today. Although it doesn’t deal directly with gender based violence, it is about a strong South African woman in the face of adversity.

“Witnessing recent protests, I was humbled by the women of South Africa, by the activists, men and women, saying, ‘Enough!’ said Spring. “It is unspeakable that a South African woman is killed every three hours, that so many women and children are forced to live in shame and fear, unprotected and vulnerable.  It has to be stopped!”

Lead actress Clementine Mosimane, who was awarded the “Best Actress” trophy at the recent Silwerskerm Film Festival, feels that the film carries an important message.

“We need to break the cycle of abuse by raising our children to be compassionate. This affects all of us, and we must address it at all levels. A society filled with healthy, respected women is a healthy society,” said Mosimane.

Supporting actress Anna-Mart Van Der Merwe agrees.

“The scourge of gender based violence screams out to us. It is time that we check in with ourselves, and the people we interact with daily. Do I embrace others as I want to be embraced?” said Van Der Merwe.

The film Poppie Nongena is a deeply personal story told from a women’s perspective. Cinematographer Vicci Turpin feels strongly about the urgency of women’s rights in South Africa.

“It’s time for woman to let their voices get heard more loudly than ever before. Our bodies and minds are our own, and should not and cannot be touched indiscriminately by those who feel they are more powerful or have the right to the violence in this country.”

Helena Spring has taken a stand and committed herself to help make a difference.

“In the spirit of Poppie Nongena who would do anything to protect the stability of her family, South Africans have to put an end to gender based violence in this country,” said Spring. “We need a landslide, an unstoppable landslide, that will inexorably turn the tide until women and children in this country are protected. I will be donating 10 % of the Producer’s profits from the film to organisations working to stop gender based violence in South Africa,” she confirmed.

Hailed as groundbreaking, the novel was reprinted three times within its first four months of release and has since been translated into thirteen languages. It has won multiple awards worldwide.

It’s always great to see local content on the up, we for ones are all for that as proven by the majority of the content we feature. When that comes in the shape of TV shows and/or film the more perfect it is especially for our purposes here. A great example of this in action is Poppie Nongena, a legacy film which producer Helena Spring has recently announced will release in cinemas nationwide on 30 January 2020. The film is based on The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena, which is regarded as one of the best African novels of the twentieth century. 

Poppie Nongena tells the story of a South African isiXhosa mother, whose life revolves around finding stability for her family during a period of insufferable upheaval in the country when African women were forced, by arrests, fines and forced removal, to leave their homes and resettle in remote areas designated as black homelands. When her husband, Stone, became too ill to work, Poppie was deemed by the law to be an “illegal” resident in her own country. She engaged in a desperate struggle with the authorities for permission to stay, moving from house to house, applying for permits, applying for extensions, extensions of extensions, and using every means at her disposal to remain with her children.

Caught in the cross fire of her children’s needs, her husband’s illness, community anger and repressive laws, she was finally forced to give in just as the 1976 riots for freedom erupted. 

The film’s view point is deeply personal. “Although it deals with a life of struggle, it is filled with humour, hope, tenderness and entertaining insights, which open a window on a time in history that we can all learn from” said Helena Spring. “Poppie’s deeply personal experiences, her profound love story with her husband, her love for her children and her formidable inner courage will inspire young and old, as she draws meaning and purpose from the most difficult moments of her life” she concluded.

Clementime Mosimane plays the role of Poppie, alongside Anna-Mart van der Merwe (Die Storie van Klara Viljee, Kanarie), veterans Chris Gxalaba (Long walk to freedom, The Crown, ER, Mandela and De Klerk), Rolanda Marais (Wolwe Dans in die Skemer, Binnelanders, Out on a Limb, Dead Easy), David Minaar (Torings, Fiela se Kind, Nag van die 19de, 7de Laan, Amalia) and Lida Botha (Invictus, Susters, Windprint, Pad na jou Hart, Die Boekklub, Hollywood in my Huis, Susters).  Nomsa Nene, who played the title role to rave reviews in the international theatre production of Poppie, plays Poppie’s mother.

“The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena is a very important story that needs to be told. It has taken several years to develop the screenplay. We can’t wait to show the film to Elsa Joubert and the rest of the world” said Karen Meiring, head of KykNET.

The movie is proudly South African in every way possible, this includes the supporting cast (companies) that came on board in making it come to life. These include KykNET, M-Net, The Department of Trade and Industry, and Arco Venture Capital. An important story that needed to be told further and finally now will.