Tsotsi won the Oscar for best foreign language film in Los Angeles

6 March, 2006

Pretoria – As the cast and crew of South Africa's first movie to win an Oscar Award are celebrating in the United States, back home fans are equally in a triumphant mood, heaping much praise on the team's outstanding achievement.

Tsotsi won the Oscar for best foreign language film in Los Angeles yesterday.

The film tells the story of a township thug, "Tsotsi", played by Presley Chweneyagae who learns to take care of an infant whose mother he shot during a car hijacking.

Caring for the child gradually repairs Tsotsi's broken spirit, and to feed the infant he forces a widowed single mother, Miriam, played by Terry Pheto, to share her milk with the child.

Congratulating the team for winning, Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan said he and millions of other South Africans saluted them for the "splendid and challenging contribution they have made to indigenous African film making".

"Their achievement has revealed to the world, and the USA in particular, that South African talent - as evidenced by award-winning actress and second-time Oscar nominee, Charlize Theron, for example - not only has the potential to stand tall and compete as equals with our international counterparts, but is also of world class," he said.

He added that it was a great honour that the country's creative artists had received much deserved recognition "at the heart of the world’s leading film and cinema community" as the Best Foreign Film.

Minister Jordan said he was pleased that the efforts of the Department of Arts and Culture and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) to promote and create an enabling environment for South African film were bearing fruit.

"The prize opens up new opportunities for South African talent to shine. Through it we hope film-makers will become more fully aware of the outstanding talent South Africa possesses and what magnificent landscape and scenery our beautiful country has to offer," he added.

And ordinary South Africans also shared the joy of the cast.

S'du Mnisi of Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, told BuaNews, the movie was “very good” and very relevant as it portrayed why some people do the things they do in townships.

"The movie shows that as much as we do not approve of their deeds, these young men are also human and some had a difficult upbringing. This might also prompt car thieves to take a good look at what they are doing and hopefully change their ways," she said.

She added that the movie was proof enough that the local film industry was abundant with talent and that more money was needed to invest in more talented actors.

"The movie has shown that local artists can easily compete with international stars in Hollywood – and beat them nogal!" said S'du. 

Tsotsi is directed by Gavin Hood and co-produced by Paul Raleigh and the United Kingdom's Peter Fudakowski.

The movie is based on a novel by another great South African playwright, Athol Fugard and is said to be putting "a human face on both the victims and perpetrators of crime”.

The plot is set in the 60's but transposed to the present times and its genuineness is enhanced by the use of township lingua franca or "Tsotsi taal".

Taking part in the film are also cast members Kenneth Nkosi, Mothusi Magano, Zenzo Ngqobe, Zola, Rapulana Seiphemo, Nambitha Mpumlwana and Nothuthui Sibisi among others.  – BuaNews