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Dr Anant Singh Speaks About His ‘Reel Journey Of Filmmaking’

Dr Anant Singh Speaks About His ‘Reel Journey Of Filmmaking’

The Faculty of Arts and Design under the auspices of the Executive Dean Lecture Series hosted its first Public Lecture by renowned Film Producer, Dr Anant Singh, at the Durban of Technology (DUT) Courtyard Theatre, Ritson Campus on Friday, 22 March 2019.

Dr Singh, who has more than 80 films under his creative belt, delivered his presentation titled: Speaking Out and Creating an Industry, When None Existed. His talk highlighted his film journey from the time he bought a film rental store in the 80’s, and to how he has diversified and now delves in video production, video distribution, and formed his company called Videovision Entertainment.

His passion for the art of films began when he first saw silent movies like Charlie Chaplin, and this began his passion for the love of movies and beyond. “The way I got to know films was through 8mm silent movies like Charlie Chaplin, and it was those images that captivated me. For me, it was quite remarkable to see how these characters entranced me and the magic of filming,” he said excitedly.

He also spoke of his education and life during Apartheid in Durban, South Africa, as well as his first job at a video shop which triggered his pathway to filmmaking. For Dr Singh, living under Apartheid had been very difficult and he realised it was through film that he could voice the ‘going-on’ in South Africa. So with no formal training in film, but just a passion for the art, so began his first film career when he made his first Anti – Apartheid movie called A Place of Weeping which was shot in seven days with a budget of R10 000.

He added that once filming was done for this movie, the police had approached him to view it and he knew this was going to happen, so he sent the film negative to London before-hand. “The film got great reviews around the world. I released the movie in America first because I wanted to build a profile to the film for the audiences in South Africa,” he said. He added that eventually it showed in South Africa and because of apartheid he had to view it in certain places such as Soweto due to him not being allowed in certain areas to view it.

Dr Singh shared that his exciting career also allowed him to forge great friendships with the likes of the ‘down – to – earth’ Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg, to name but a few.

“All of you that are students, it always seems tough, but just follow your passion, follow your heart, and I think you can really achieve whatever you set out to do. It is very difficult at times but you are our future filmmakers, future actors, so whatever you want to do, pursue it aggressively,” he stressed.

He also added that the film industry is continuing to grow in South Africa, and international films are more frequently being made here in South Africa, as well as there are many film foundations and organisations that are supporting the local film industry.

His dream, going forward, is to build a film studio in Durban. “The opportunities for the industry are far stronger in our city than anywhere else in the country and I think we need to develop that. We need a creative path in this city. It will not only be a film studio, but also a creative hub for music, anything that’s creative will find its home there because creativity bounces off each other. So, follow your dream, work hard and I look forward to seeing your name in the film industry,” said Dr Singh.

Pictured: Film Maker Anant Singh, Chairperson of Council, Wiseman Madinane, Journalism Associate director Adv Robin Sewlal, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design Prof Brian Pearce.

Waheeda Peters

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