Cape of Good Hope

Colour, 35 mm
South Africa, USA, 2004, 107 min
EP – European premiere
Section: Horizons
Oficiální stránky: www.capemovie.com

Synopsis

The film focuses on the lives of six racially and socially different characters connected by an animal rescue centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The centre is run by a young white woman named Kate, eternally solving problems with her emotionally immature mother and in her relationship with a married man. She is helped by an educated Congolese refugee named Jean-Claude, who is waiting to emigrate to Canada, a Mid Eastern receptionist named Sharifa, who is desperately trying to get pregnant, and veterinarian Dr. Morne, a young widower who’s secretly in love with Kate. A local kid, Thabo, whose mother Lindiwe is looking for a father for her son, helps out at the centre as well. The married filmmaking couple (who sold their LA home to make the film) here create an enthusiastic portrait of post-apartheid South African society, and humorously play with parallels between human multiracial society and the dog shelter where the protagonists work.

About the director

Mark Bamford (b. 1967, Louisville) grew up in New York. After finishing studies in French literature, linguistics and anthropology at New York University in 1989, he moved to Los Angeles to work as a screenwriter. In 2001 he shot the short movie Hero. For the past five years he has lived in Cape Town, South Africa with his wife, producer Suzanne Kay, and their kids. Cape of Good Hope is his feature debut.