Inspired by the Biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, talented SA musician and actor Nakhane has ventured into the film industry with a new project that explores masculinity, patriarchy, and power.
South Africa (13 August 2024) – Award-winning South African musician, actor, and novelist Nakhane has made their directorial debut with the highly anticipated short film, B(l)ind The Sacrifice.
The film, a collaboration with seasoned producers Cait Pansegrouw and Elias Ribeiro of Urucu Media, premiered at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland last week.
The project was one of twenty short films selected from four thousand submissions to compete in the prestigious Pardi di Domani section at the Locarno Film Festival.
The festival is known for showcasing innovative works from emerging filmmakers, providing them with a platform to create expressive and experimental films that speak to the future of cinema.
Nakhane, globally recognised for their captivating performance in the Oscar-nominated Inxeba (The Wound), brings their unique vision to the director’s chair.
Pansegrouw and Ribeiro, renowned for their work on critically acclaimed films such as Train of Salt and Sugar and This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection, are producing partners on the project.
Promising to be a compelling and thought-provoking watch, the short film explores the complexities of masculinity, patriarchy, and power, set against the backdrop of an immutable yet contemporary world.
Nakhane explained that the film was inspired by the Biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, and primarily how Isaac must have felt being offered to God as a sacrifice by his father.
“The film looks at masculinity/patriarchy – and the power it wields – gone mad. I had to imagine the Biblical Abraham, the initial patriarch, as a ‘real’ person and in so doing I was forced to wonder what would happen if he didn’t get away with what he did.
“Imaging that his power, so mad, that he has convinced his family and his three servants to live their lives as nomads with no choice but to obey him. And so I ask – what would happen if we nipped all of this patriarchal lineage by killing him?” Nakhane shared.
The trio aims to develop the film into a full-length feature to further delve into the complexities of patriarchy and its intersection with queerness.
B(l)ind The Sacrifice will also compete in the Concorso Internazionale at the Locarno Film Festival, showcasing world and international premieres of short and medium-length films. This prestigious competition highlights the visionary talent of emerging filmmakers from around the globe and we’re rooting for the creative trio to bring it back home!
Sources: Versfeld & Associates
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