Africa
Synopsis
Vicky Young is a successful young model, suffering from the insecurities of fame and fortune.
At the height of her career, she is on the slippery slope to self-destruction, thanks to peer pressure, drink and drugs.
Invited to launch a new line of lingerie in South Africa, she falls further out of control and clashes with her manager, Josh Sinclair.
Unable to deal with the demands of her job or her feelings for Josh, whom she knows she is letting down, she decides in desperation, and against all advice, to take time out by driving across country to her next photo shoot.
Unused to driving in such a strange, hostile environment, Vicky crashes her vehicle, way out in the middle of the bush.
Vicky's struggle to survive in the truly wild landscape of Africa mirrors the jungle that is civilisation and, in surviving, she is able to rediscover her values.
Edinburgh - NBX review:
Greg Wise, Elizabeth Berkley and Patrick Bergin star alongside South African actress Dorette Potgieter in the story of a fashion model's struggle to survive in the African bush. Fast slipping into a life of drugs and drink and repeatedly clashing with her manager (Wise), Vicky Young (Potgieter) decides to take some time out from her schedule and drive by herself to the location of her next shoot. An accident leaves her stranded in the remote African landscape and she has to pit her wits against the forces of nature to survive.
The film was shot over six weeks in a private game reserve near Johannesburg. 'The biggest challenge was filming the animals,' says writer-director Paul Matthews. "We had everything - rhinos, lions, elephants - and they weren't just in background shots. We had scenes of our lead actress up a tree surrounded by lions, being chased by a lion, being harassed by hyenas, and working very close to a herd of elephants, which anyone who has been near elephants knows is quite hair-raising. It really required a lot from her. And getting those kind of shots on such a tight schedule was very demanding."
The film is produced by Peakviewing, which recently laid out its film-making ambitions by setting up a theatrical distribution company headed by industry veteran Martin Myers. The company plans to make up to six features a year and will launch with the £12m Merlin 2000, a CG-heavy family adventure starring Rik Mayall, Tia Carrere, Patrick Bergin, Adrian Paul and Craig Sheffer, which was also written and directed by Matthews.
Details
- Year
- 2000
- Type of film
- Features
- Running Time
- 100 mins
- Format
- 35mm Fuji
- Director
- Paul Matthews
- Producer
- Elizabeth Matthews
- Executive Producer
- Elizabeth Matthews
- Editor
- Peter Davies
- Screenwriter
- Paul Matthews
- Director of Photography
- Vincent Cox
- Sound
- Derek Mansuelt
- Principal Cast
- Patrick Bergin, Elizabeth Berkeley, David Dukas, Greg Wise, Dorette Potgeiter
Genre
Production status
Complete
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Last updated 26th November 2005
