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21 August 2009: Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) opens nation-wide in cinemas from today 21 August 2009.  The release comes after an unprecedented interest globally, including the President’s office and the Department of Arts and Culture. 

To mark the nationwide release of Izulu Lami, the Durban Film Office invited one hundred (100) children from Durban and surrounding areas to view the film with South Africa’s First Lady Nompumelelo Ntuli. “The Durban Film Office is privileged to have the First Lady watch Izulu Lami with the kids. The response received from the kids after watching the movie was both phenomenal and incredible,” said Toni Monty, Acting CEO Durban Film Office. Toni went on to say that the 100 kids, together with cast members which comprised of Tarifa award-winning young actress Sobahle Mkhabase “were excited to be in the company of the country’s First Lady”.

Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) was directed by Madoda Ncayiyana. The film has already received international acclaim. In May 2009 the film received the Audience and Best Actress awards at the Tarifa International Pan African Film Festival in Spain. The film’s African premiere was at the 30th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in July of this year, where it received phenomenal response from an audience, which included the honourable Minister of Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana. During the DIFF awards ceremony Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) received special jury mentions of the child actors.

Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) follows the story of two young children who journey to the city from their rural homestead after their mother's death. The film features a cast of mainly young children who had never acted professionally before, discovered through extensive casting by the director, from the townships and informal settlements of eThekwini Municipality to the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal.

Seeing such a compelling and authentic local story told in Zulu by a local Black director makes the NFVF immensely proud,” said Ryan Haidarian of the NFVF.

Reviewing the film in his NFVF blog, Dr. Don Materra mentions that the film “is the kind of family movie that you may want your kids to see; the kind that gives one confidence and a sense of tangible hope for the future of film production in South Africa generally.” Dr. Mattera goes on to say that the film can play an important role “in the creation of stirring children's dramas in South Africa, and also on our beleaguered African Continent.”

Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) will screen nation-wide at cinema’s including; Sterkinekor Cape, Gauteng East, Gauteng West, KZN, Sterkinekor Pretoria; and NuMetro Cape Town, Gauteng and KZN. The film will be available on DVD through Ster-Kinekor Home Entertainment and will be broadcast on SABC towards the end of the year. For more information on the screening venues visit www.sterkinekor.com.

Written by Julie Frederikse and Madoda Ncayiyana, the film is produced by Dv8 Films and co-produced by Vuleka Productions. Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky) is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the SABC, Ster-Kinekor Distribution, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Rebate, INK and the French film fund, Fonds Images Afrique.