He is local, a film music composer and now a producer whose movie is going to be the opening film of the Durban International Film Festival (Diff).
“We were really amazed when we heard that not only was our movie 1960 selected to be shown at Diff, but also to be the opening film of the festival,” said Hermanus resident Bruce Retief. “That’s a great honour.”
Having grown up in Cape Town, he and his family would spend holidays in Hermanus regularly. “So when we moved here eight years ago it felt like coming home,” Retief said. “I have always loved the natural beauty and cool people of this town.”
He tried his hand at producing a film after a friend from Johannesburg, Mike Mutombo, a director of photography, persuaded him to use his talents in this direction. “The whole project was made possible by another friend of mine, Khaya Maseko, a pastor and businessman from Cape Town. He also joined us in writing and producing the movie, and he gave us the capital needed to get going; and here we are – our film, 1960, is the result.”
Retief loved the whole process of filmmaking, and said he planned to make a new film every few years.
“I have a new film in the pipeline, but I first need to sell this one. There are discussions about selling 1960 to a streaming service or channel. I will announce the outcomes and possibly release dates (soon).”
The film was shot mostly at the Cape Town Film Studios and in Johannesburg, but a few scenes were actually shot in Hermanus.
“Unfortunately we can’t see any known landmarks because the scenes are indoors, but some will recognise the inside of the Waldorf School Hall. We also used a number of locals as extras. I work in my small studio in Hermanus CBD, and my music and editing takes place there.”
Retief says the exciting parts of shooting this film were many: “Seeing the brilliantly talented art, costume and make-up people recreate 1960 in beautiful detail, seeing the story and characters I created come to life, seeing the whole production come together after a few years of very hard work, being chosen to open DIFF was really a surprise I wasn’t expecting.”. The film 1960 is set in Sharpeville in that year, and sometimes flashes forward to modern-day Johannesburg. It’s the story of a young woman in the ’60s trying to establish herself as a singer.
As an older woman she may have information about the skeleton of a missing police officer from the 60s discovered in 2019. The film shows flashbacks of her life as a detective investigating this case. The music provides a striking backdrop to the story.