national Arts Festival Banner

Monday, March 30, 2020

“THE FLAWED GENIUS OF JAN SMUTS” DOCUMENTARY


(Jan Smuts Jnr, who takes on the role of his grandfather, with Neville Herrington)

One project which has gone well for Durban based Tekweni Television is their one-hour drama documentary on Jan Smuts titled The Flawed Genius of Jan Smuts.

(Left: Anton Herrington (Director of Photography) on left with Sandra Herrington (Producer/Director) and Cape Town’s Skylab crew who were used for the aerial drone shots on Table Mountain and Riebeek West)

Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts PC, OM, CH, DTD, ED, KC, FRS (24 May 1870 – 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader, and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948. (Wikipedia)

The documentary was co-produced by Sandra and Neville Herrington and directed by Sandra Herrington, with financial assistance from the NFVF, using Jan Smut’s look-alike grandson in a cameo role of this great icon. It was shown several times locally on DSTV and then screened by them into 52 African countries. 

(Theriodopiolous Coetzer in the role of 11 year-old Smuts)

Sandra Herrington says: “We have now put it onto our You Tube Channel which has 90,000 subscribers and it has had 82,000 views (mostly over the last month) and growing daily. 

"What is very pleasing for us is that the documentary is doing the very thing we wanted it to do …. bringing this controversial figure into the public eye once more; by opening up on the site a heated debate through 450 viewer comments from around the world, including the following from the United States’ Presidential office :

"Thank you for sharing your history. love of country; respect of one’s and others roots creates balanced people and responsible stewards. 
Too often, public ignorance, skewed historiography and manipulative “grievance” based mass movements sustain control & unjust governance by an entropic clan of self serving oligarchic elites. 
The  United States & President Trump send our best wishes for South Africa

The link on Tekweni Television’s Youtube channel for anyone who wants to watch it - https://youtu.be/4qaZR4vRHY0

It can also be viewed on the home page of the new Tekweni Media website:  http://tekweni.co.za

For more information contact Sandra Herrington PhD, Producer / Director/Scriptwriter/Editor on 031 261 1034 or 082 552 3949 or email: sandyh@iafrica.com