(Joshua Magor)
Joshua Magor is an award winning South African filmmaker
from Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. He first developed an interest in
filmmaking whilst making video art during his senior school days at
Michaelhouse. After graduating as Dux of Michaelhouse, and being placed on the
national top 50 achievers list, he earned a scholarship to study English
Literature and Economics at the prestigious University of Edinburgh.
After his time in Scotland, he progressed to do his masters
degree in Filmmaking at the London Film School; an institution that has
produced notable directors such as Mike Leigh (Mr Turner, Vera Drake, Naked) and Duncan Jones (Warcraft, Moon) to name a few.
Magor has worked extensively in both fiction and documentary
filmmaking and has developed expertise as a director, writer and
cinematographer. He also takes a particular interest in the craft of acting and
has participated in acting workshops at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in
London and has frequently held his own improvisation sessions. As a creator, he
is extremely passionate about cinema's ability to capture the ferocious
intensities of life and medium's potential to confront people with emotions and
thoughts that may otherwise remain hidden. His latest film People At Night is recently finished and is currently being
prepared to have a run on the film festival circuit.
In
February 2017, Magor will be
shooting a film in and around the greater Pietermaritzburg area. A co-production with the London Film School, it will serve as his
graduation project. It will
be set in current day South Africa about characters in and around
Pietermaritzburg and will be an immersion into this current moment of South
Africa’s history.
“I
wish to examine the feelings, tensions, smells, colours, conversations, sounds
and forces that make up this moment and the people that face it,” explains
Magor. “There will be no Hollywood bullshit, no transforming cars, no exploding
trains, no botoxed blondes kissing botoxed blondes to romantic music in the
rain. This has no authenticity. This does not mean anything. What I am
interested in creating is making a film that does mean something. A film that
is courageous, honest and completely sincere.
In order to discover actors/stories and to nurture the
dramatic potential of the area and its people, Magor will be running a
bi-weekly four-week open-doors
acting workshop in Pietermaritzburg starting from the end of October.
“I
will of course need to find people who will become the characters in the film.
So to do this, I have decided to run a workshop for any and all who wish to get
involved with the project,” he adds.
Twice
a week sessions will be held where Magor will guide participants through
various exercises and coach them on various techniques of performance. These
workshops will be used as a space for people to explore and/or hone their
abilities, and as an incubator to develop fresh and new material from the
participant’s own experiences that may find its way into the film.
The
workshop will have a focus on finding one’s own individual expression and
delivering powerful and authentic performances. At the end of the workshop
those who have participated will be informed as to whether or not they will be
included in the final cast for the film.
“The
workshop is open to all and everybody. All ages, races, shapes, backgrounds,
etc. No experience is necessary. All are welcome. Also, It is not necessary
to participate in all the sessions if you cannot. The workshop will have a
drop-in drop-out policy where individuals should feel free to make it when you
can,” explains Magor.
Workshops
will take place in Pietermaritzburg starting from the last week of October
(exact dates to be confirmed). For more information contact joshuamagorfilm@gmail.com
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