gravel road entertainment

Treasure Hunters

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Treasure Hunter South African Films

“Treasure Hunters” (also known as “Ukuzingala”) was shot on 16mm in 1989 and is 75 minutes long. This adventure film was produced by Oubaas Olivier and directed by Tonie vd Merwe. Starring Gugo Mhlangu, Innocent Gumende, Jabu Luthuli and Victor Nklago, catch it on SABC 1 this Sunday night at 8:30pm!

TAGLINE

After hearing a tale of a mysterious lost treasure, an old man’s family heads off on a perilous journey only to suffer the same fate as the shipwrecked survivors from sixty years ago.

SYNOPSIS

A young Zulu boy secretly watches as four shipwrecked survivors struggle ashore. Between them they carry a large chest of treasure.

The four survivors struggle off, heading inland, closely guarding the chest they carry with them. The young boy follows, keeping to the shadows, watching as one by one the survivors succumb to the treacherous journey, finally leaving only the treasure chest behind.

Sixty years later, the young boy now an old man, retells the story of the shipwrecked survivors and the mysterious treasure chest to his descendants. Deciding to retrace the trail in the hopes of finding the lost treasure, the old man’s family head off on the treacherous adventure. But tragedy strikes, only for them to suffer the same fate as the survivors so many years before them.

Treasure Hunter South African Films

Philip Olckers – Audio Restoration

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Philip Olckers

Photos by: Patrick Ryan

Shot on location at Waterfront Film Studios, Cape Town

Philip is an award winning audio engineer and sound designer, specializing in the final mix of sound tracks for feature films. This includes all aspects of post-production sound recording and mixing. He is also an accomplished score composer, having focused this aspect of his skill set on short films to date. Philip has worked on numerous international feature films, including “Fast and Furious 6” and “The Last Stand”. He was an assisting Sound Engineer and Foley Mixer for “Die Wonderwerker” which was nominated for a SAFTA for “Best Sound” (South African Film and Television Awards). He has assisted and worked alongside Barry Donnelly on a number of SA’s biggest feature films, and has final mixed a number of TV series and local feature films.  Philip currently works out of the Waterfront Studios, where his knowledge of sound restoration & mixing is being applied to the Retro Afrika Bioscope project.

Philip Olckers

Reginald Pillay – Film Lab Technician

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Reginald Pillay

Photos by: Patrick Ryan

Shot on location at Waterfront Film Studios, Cape Town

Reginald has been working with film since 1974. With training in printing, sound engineering and negative matching, he soon found his calling when he was accepted to study to become a film timer/colourist. This would include all aspects of film laboratory functions in commercials, television and feature films.

With the transition from film to digital over recent years, Reginald has become a rare commodity when dealing with expertise in film print knowledge. He has brought his extensive experience and love of film to the restoration procedure of these Retro Afrika Bioscope films, where he has been responsible for re-splicing and cleaning these old prints (some of them up to 40 years old) before they are ingested into the digital realm.

Gravel Road Entertainment

Reginald Pillay

Reginald Pillay

Reginald Pillay

Reginald Pillay

Reginald Pillay

Reginald Pillay

Reginald Pillay

Gravel Road Entertainment

On The Expresso Show on SABC!

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CEO of Gravel Road Entertainment, Benjamin Cowley, and Producer/Director Tonie van der Merwe sat down with Expresso presenter Katlego Maboe to talk about the Mayibuye Film Festival currently running on SABC1. For more information on the festival and the films, read this article and join the conversation with us on Facebook here.

Benjamin Cowley and Tonie vd Merwe on the Expresso Show on SABC

Benjamin Cowley and Tonie vd Merwe on the Expresso Show on SABC

Benjamin Cowley, Katlego Maboe and Tonie vd Merwe on the Expresso Show on SABC

Benjamin Cowley, Katlego Maboe and Tonie vd Merwe on the Expresso Show on SABC

Bona Manzi

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BonaManzi South African Films

Starring Sipho Menyeni, Martin Potgieter, John Mtsali and Sithembiso Fusa, this 70 minute action film was shot in 1989. It was produced by Oubaas Olivier and directed by Tonie vd Merwe.

TAGLINE

A game ranger and his chief ranger set out on a daring rescue mission when his two nephews are kidnapped by dangerous poachers deep in the African bush.

SYNOPSIS

Two young brothers travel out to the countryside to visit with their game ranger uncle during their school holidays.

It is here on the ranch, under their uncle’s teachings, that they learn about the beauties of the African bush and the wildlife living there.

One morning the two boys head out alone into the wilderness to go explore and accidentally stumble across a group of poachers. The boys are kidnapped and it is left to the uncle and the Chief Ranger to set out on a daring and dangerous rescue mission to save the children and apprehend the poachers.

Bonamanzi South African Films

Joe Bullet

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Joe Bullet South African Films

Made in 1971, this action film directed by Louis de Wit and produced by Tonie vd Merwe was shot on 16mm in Johannesburg. Banned in South Africa by the government when it originally came out, it stars Ken Gampu, Abigail Kubeka, Jimmy Sabie and Joe Lopez.

TAGLINE

In the criminal underworld of soccer, one man will have to save the championship!

SYNOPSIS

When local soccer team The Eagles fall prey to a series of onslaughts from a mysterious gangster only a week before the championship final, the team turns to the one man that can help save their chances at victory – Joe Bullet (Ken Gampu).

Joe will have to battle against villainous henchmen, escape booby-trap bombs and bring his martial arts expertise to the fore in order to survive an attack from a deadly assassin.

In the end he will have to infiltrate the mysterious gangster’s hide-out in a dangerous cat-and-mouse rescue mission to save not only The Eagles’ two kidnapped star players, but that of his beautiful love interest, Beauty (Abigail Kubeka).

The odds will be stacked against him, but he’s the man that fights crime, the man that no one can tie down! Joe Bullet!

Joe Bullet

Film Schedule for Mayibuye Film Festival

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Ambushed South African Films

A screengrab from the first film of the fest – “Ambushed”

The following is the film schedule for the Mayibue Film Festival on SABC:
13 April 2014
a.     Ambushed
b.    Ezintandaneni
20 April 2014
a.     Joe Bullet
b.    Bona Manzi
27 April 2014
a.     Treasure Hunters
b.    Isiboshwa
Bonamanzi South African Films

Screen grab from “Bonamanzi”

 

Ezintandaneni

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Ezintandaneni South African Films

Produced in 1987, this 70 minute drama was directed by Tonie vd Merwe and produced by Oubaas Olivier. The cast includes Sizwe Dlamini, Popo Gumede & Gugu Mhlanga. Be sure to watch it this Sunday night on SABC1!

TAGLINE

A moving tale involving two orphans, a widower and a beautiful social worker, and how their lives all come together at the end.

SYNOPSIS

A touching story of two families – one poor, and the other rich. A young boy and his sister, raised by their cruel and vicious stepmother, live poor and difficult lives. Beaten and starved by their stepmom, the two children only have one another for comfort
and support. Meanwhile a prominent business man, and single father, has brought his mother to stay with him to help care for his ailing daughter. A beautiful Social Worker enters the scene and befriends the two abused children, and when the wealthy business man’s daughter sadly passes away, a series of events begin to unfold, entwining  these people’s fates and bringing all them all together at the end.

Ezintandaneni South African Films