This romantic South African-made comedy Hollywood In My Huis has already received acclaim at the
Silwerskermfees held in Camps Bay in August 2014 and walked away with three
awards: the Audience Choice Award for Best Film; The Critics’ Choice Award for
Best Film and the Audience Choice Award for Best Leading Lady which was awarded
to Christia Visser.
Hollywood In My Huis
tells the story of matric student, Jana van Tonder (Christia Visser) and her
parents, Beatrice and Tos van Tonder (Nicola Hanekom and Louw Venter), and
Frikkie (Edwin van der Walt), her best friend and his grandmother, who live on
the “wrong side of the tracks”.
Jana’s father is unemployed and her mother runs a beauty
salon from a caravan. While the parents have lost all hope, Jana has dreams
bigger than her circumstances. It is 2004 and her school prom is around the
corner. After watching Charlize Theron win an Oscar, Jana decides then and
there that she will turn her school prom night into her own “Hollywood Red
Carpet” experience - a choice that brings about difficult choices and forces
her to experience the reality of life.
Secretly in love with Brandon (Viljé Maritz) – the school’s
heartthrob and tennis champion – Jana is determined to ask him to go with her
to prom, even though he is linked to the school’s most popular girl, Angelique
(Leandie du Randt). In the meantime, Jana is oblivious to the various attempts
of Frikkie’s feelings towards her…
It took nine years for director Corné van Rooyen to have Hollywood in my Huis made as a feature
film – it was originally shot as a short film while he attended AFDA.
The inspiration for the film about a teenage girl with big
dreams and who realises that she just has to be herself and find her own way in
life, stems from van Rooyen’s own childhood growing up in Silverton, Pretoria.
He said that many of characters are modelled on his own experiences, even
aspects of his family and friends can be found in Hollywood in my Huis. “It is actually a very personal story.”
The casting took almost two and a half years. Van Rooyen
knew from the beginning that the actors were going to be the driving force in telling
his story. About Christia Visser, who can currently be seen in Ballade vir ‘n
Enkeling as Lena Aucamp Jr, he says: “I knew I would not find a better Jana
than her, there is a certain honesty and freshness that she brings to the
role.”
It took just as long to find Frikkie. Van Rooyen searched
everywhere, at universities, school, and agencies and even through Facebook. He
found Edwin van der Walt (also now in Ballade
vir ‘n Enkeling as Jacques Rynhard Jr.) in a short film. He put Christia
and Edwin together in an audition. “Every moment I watched him, it was as if he
was meant to play this role,” says van Rooyen excitedly.
Other stars in the movie include Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp,
Lida Botha and Marga van Rooy. The film was mainly show in Vasco and at
Brackenfell High. Scenes were also shot in Fisantekraal, Observatory and Cape
Town.
Hollywood in my Huis
hits the big screen on June 26th, 2015. The film is being released by
Indigenous Film Distribution. For more information visit www.hollywoodinmyhuis.co.za
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