Local trailer debuts at Cannes Film Festival
The trailer for the movie Skeleton Coast will be seen for the first time during the iconic Cannes Film Festival this coming Tuesday.The movie boasts an international cast, including American actor Eric Roberts, who was seen in The Expendables and The Dark Knight.
Roberts appears in Skeleton Coast with local actor Armas Shivute Armas.
"It was really great; I learned a lot from people I've known for a long time," Armas says of his experience on set. He adds that working with Roberts was a particular highlight. "He doesn't appear like the other celebrities with big names. He was used to it and was very quick to compliment us when we did well."
The movie was filmed in Namibia and follows a group of scientists who travel to the country in search of a gemstone that has never been seen before - blunamite. When bodies start appearing in the area, the group is not sure if one of their own is responsible for their deaths or if the Skeleton Coast is trying to send them a warning.
This film was the first that one of the movie's two producers, Panashe Daringo, worked on. Daringo is actually a full-time civil engineer and project manager, but says the job of a producer is much like the role of a project manager.
"It's unreal - if you had told me a year ago that I would be involved in a film now, I wouldn't have believed you," he says. He adds that the support from the team behind the scenes as well as in front of the cameras has been invaluable.
"It was great to see how different cultures come together and work together as well as to see how people and the environment can change a film," adding that "the Namibian environment offers unique landscapes that can be of value for international films".
However, he believes that the technical aspects of local films must enjoy more attention before Namibia is ready to take the lead as a destination of choice for filmmakers. – [email protected]