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- Oscar gets trip to 'Jerusalema'
Released on www.variety.com website on Tues Oct 7, 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- Ralph Ziman's "Jerusalema" is South Africa's submission for consideration in the foreign film category at the Oscars.
Like the country's previous Oscar winner, "Tsotsi," "Jerusalema" is set in a world of urban crime and violence, this time in Johannesburg's notorious downtown Hillbrow area.
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- In on da act - luckily - Jerusalema star was gonna quit
Released on sundayworld website on Sun Sept 7, 2008
Jafta Mamabolo may not be new on the entertainment scene, but it’s only now that we feel the impact of this young man’s dynamic talents.
He plays the young Lucky Kunene in the hard-hitting Jerusalema with such vooma it makes one think he will be the next Rapulana Seiphemo, who plays the older Kunene in the film and who has to be one of South Africa’s best actors.
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- Review : Jerusalema
Released on mydigitallife website on Mon, 1 Sept. 2008
If you haven’t heard by now, Jerusalema is pure commercial and entertainment bliss. Building on the legacy and love-hate relationship of the SA gangster image from films like Mapantsula, Hijack Stories and Tsotsi . Jerusalema takes its well deserved place as an entertaining, thoughtful and endearing film. It may be not as iconic as City of God per se, but its way better than American Gangster. It offers more humour and action than Tsotsi and speaks to us way better than Bakgat, Schuster or even all the crazy monkey movies combined.
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- Hillbrow building hijackings hit the big screen
Released on realestateweb website 04 September 2008
Before seeing this film, I was told by a friend that Jerusalema is 'the new Tsotsi' - and he was right, there are many similarities between the two films
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- JERUSALEMA
Released in SL Magazine Sept 2008
Before seeing this film, I was told by a friend that Jerusalema is 'the new Tsotsi' - and he was right, there are many similarities between the two films
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- JERUSALEMA - Movie Review
Released in Channel24 website,Fri August 29, 2008
Lucky Kunene (Rapulana Seiphemo) is a poor boy from Soweto who dreams of being rich and successful. He's accepted into university, but cannot afford the fees, so he turns to stealing cars for hardened gangster Nazareth (Jeffrey Sekele). After he's almost arrested, he flees to Johannesburg and runs a taxi business with his childhood friend Zakes (Motlatsi Mahloko). Living in a slum block, they form a tenants association and withhold rent until the unscrupulous landlord tends to the building. Amazed by the success of their plan, they expand it to seize other buildings and enterprises, attracting attention from other crime lords and the police which ultimately leads to a brutal gang war.
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- The South African homegrown crime film
Jerusalema opens in cinemas today
Released on SCREEN AFRICA website, Fri, 29 Aug 2008
The South African homegrown crime film Jerusalema opens in cinemas today. It won the coveted audience prize at the recent Durban International Film Festival and received an enthusiastic response from those who attended the premiere screening this week. “It kept me riveted to my seat. I give it 10 out of 10. It was super action from start to finish” – these were some of the comments we have heard. Word-of-mouth recommendation is said to be the best publicity a film could wish for. As we all know, local films, other than Leon Schuster movies, struggle to recoup expenses from box office attendance. If our audiences give good box office support to Jerusalema, it will benefit the industry at large. The Jerusalema producers have worked hard on publicity and with the support of Metro FM and press coverage, they have achieved a great build up to the film’s release. In addition the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) came on board with financial support for the creation of trailers, posters and subttling. Producer Tendeka Matatu has also shown that it is worthwhile to take a strong stand on retaining DVD and TV rights. It did however mean he could not conclude a theatrical agreement with either of the two major cinema chains. As a result he has had to take a less conventional route in distributing the film. He has done a deal with UIP which, besides securing Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor cinema distribution, allows him to retain the DVD and broadcast rights. What Matatu and his Jerusalema team have managed to show is that a small budget movie (it cost R2m to make in 2006) imbued with ingenuity, perseverance and talent can set itself up to potentially capture the elusive South African audience and thereby box office success as well as great DVD sales. We will keep our readers informed of its box office ratings over the next few weeks.
- Angela van Schalkwyk
- Smashing SA film’s stifling mould
Released on www.thetimes.co.za website Aug 31 2008
The landscape of South African movies consists mainly of brainless teen comedies and plodding, politically correct sermons that could have come straight from the Department of Arts and Culture.
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- So great it can’t be legal
Released on www.thetimes.co.za website Aug 31 2008
Finally, a local film that delivers what it promises: high-energy jolts and thrills, while lifting the lid on crime in Joburg
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- WATCH JERUSALEMA
Released on www.rage.co.za website
On Wednesday night, the Ster-Kinekor at Maponya Mall, right in the heart of eKasi, Soweto, saw the movie premiere of what I think is the second movie to deservedly receive so much hype and support in South Africa after Tsotsi. It was only fitting that the movie, Jerusalema, which was set in Soweto, be premi èred exactly there, Soweto.
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- JERUSALEMA - Barry Ronge 8/10
Released on ratherronge.co.za
The current landscape of South African movies consists mainly of brainless teen comedies and politically correct films that beat the “struggle” drums or strive to warm our hearts and jerk our tears with a manipulative melodrama about worthy social issues. In that context “Jerusalema” is as audacious and skilled as massive hijack of official cars outside the Parliament buildings in Cape Town, and it sets a new benchmark for our moribund film industry.
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- Crime movie relies on gangsters
Released on CNN Website: Sat, August 23, 2008
'Jerusalema,' a crime thriller based in Johannesburg's streets, was filmed with the help of local gangsters.
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- Jerusalema
To be released in SL Magazine : Fri, 29 August 2008
Before seeing this film, I was told by a friend that Jerusalema is “the new Tsotsi” –
and he was right, there are similarities between the two films…like the fact that both
pictures have predominantly black people in it. My description of it would rather be
that it is the South African adaptation of Scarface, starring Rapulana Seiphemo as
Tony Montana a.k.a Lucky Kunene – one of the coolest criminal motherfuckers I
have ever seen in a local film.
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- Jerusalema blasts onto big screen
Posted to the The Call Sheet : August 2008
DIARISE 29 August 2008. You’re
going to the movies to watch
Jerusalema, the new film by Ralph
Ziman and Muti Films.
Jerusalema is the clean-rags-todirty-
riches story of Lucky Kunene
(Rapulana Seiphemo), who journeys
from ambitious township boy to
criminal entrepreneur and ultimately,
self-made millionaire.
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- Jerusalema
Posted to the Signis.net website: Wed, 15 April 2008
Jerusalema is a traditional African song played and sung several times throughout this contemporary South African gangster story. There are references to the Psalms, especially Psalm 137, a lament for those who have forgotten the true meaning of Jerusalem. And Johannesburg, which is the setting, should have been, especially in the post-apartheid era, a new Jerusalem.
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- Jerusalema
Posted to the Variety.com website: Wed, 5 Mar 2008
A Muti Films production. (International sales: Moviehouse Entertainment, London.) Produced by Tendeka Matatu. Executive producers, Mark Vennis, Gary Phillips, Ronnie Apteker. Co-producer, Guto Bussab. Directed, written by Ralph Ziman.
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- Jerusalema
Posted to the ScreenDaily.com website: Fri, 15 Feb 2008
The third feature of Ralph Ziman, the new South African action movie Jerusalema is reportedly drawn from actual events. More accurately it is inspired from the watching of a lot of movies, combining and cannily poaching parts of the original Scarface, Superfly, GoodFellas, New Jack City and American Gangster. It's well made and engagingly played, but it is finally much too derivative and cartoonish to gain much individual expression on its own terms.
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- SA talent showcased at Berlinale
Posted to the ScreenAfrica.com website: Thu, 31 Jan 2008
A South African delegation consisting of an official from The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and local filmmakers will be attending the 58th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) which runs from 7 to 17 February 2008.
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- SA feature film selected for Berlin festival
Posted to the BizCommunity.com website: 29 Jan 2008
South African feature film Jerusalema has been selected for the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival. The festival, which runs 7 – 17 February 2008, will be the setting for the world premiere of the film.
"We are thrilled at the privilege of being selected for Panorama – the Berlin Film Festival is the perfect launch platform for the film," says writer/director, Ralph Ziman. Other films invited include Madonna's directorial debut, and Transsiberian by Brad Anderson with Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley and Emily Mortimer.
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- SA film to premiere at Berlin festival
Posted to the ScreenAfrica.com website: 18 Jan 2008
South African feature film Jerusalema has been selected for the prestigious Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival. The festival, which runs from 7 to 17 February, will be the setting for the world premiere of Jerusalema.
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- Berlin picks Panorama titles
Posted to the Hollywoodreporter.com website: 17 Jan 2008
BERLIN -- Soren Kragh-Jacobsen's Danish political thriller "What No One Knows," South African crime drama "Jerusalema" by Ralph Ziman, "Love & Other Crimes" by Serbia's Stefan Arsenijevic's and apocalyptic fantasy "Before Fall" from Spain's Javier Gutierrez are among the titles that have been selected for the Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama sidebar.
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- Berlin adds 17 films to Panorama
Posted to the Variety.com website: 16 Jan 2008
Ten world preems are among 17 titles added to the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama sidebar on Wednesday.
Genre pics feature strongly in the lineup announced so far, including four fantasies: U.S.-Mexican co-production “Sleep Dealer,” helmed by Alex Rivera; Spanish pics “3 dias” (Before Fall), by Javier Gutierrez, and “Eskalofrio” (Shiver), by Isidro Ortiz; and German film “Otto; or, Up With Dead People,” from Canadian director Bruce LaBruce.
Entries from former Berlinale participants include “Det som ingen ved” (What No One Knows), by Soren Kragh-Jacobsen (“Rubber Tarzan,” Kinderfilmfest, 1992) and “Jerusalema,” by Ralph Ziman (“Hearts and Minds,” Panorama, 1996).
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- Berlinale Panorama adds titles from Arsenijevic, Kragh-Jacobsen
Posted to the ScreenDail.com website: 2008 15:18
The Berlinale's Panorama programme has confirmed world premieres of new features by Denmark's Soren
Kragh-Jacobsen (What No One Knows), Austria's Goetz Spielmann (Revanche), South Africa's Ralph
Ziman (Jerusalema), and Serbia's Stefan Arsenijevic (Love And Other Crimes) among its latest raft of
announced titles.
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- Jo’burg’s dark underbelly as never seen before
Posted to the Business Day website: 28 June 2006
The movie is mostly being shot in central Johannesburg and in Hillbrow.
Jerusalem is big budget for a film being shot in SA, costing about R16m. But
there are some added worries — they do not work in Hillbrow on weekends and
pay days because the crime is too bad...
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- FOCUS ON HILLBROW
Posted on the Financial Mail website 21: July 2006
The shaft of light coming through the broken window shines on an
assortment of guns that looks as if it could start a third World War. The
bad guys are negotiating with the dealers who are having no problem
selling their wares....
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- The New Paradise?
Published in Screen Time
Travelling through the slum, one is
reminded of a place on the brink of an
apocalypse. People refer to Hillbrow
as little Lagos. Ironically, Jerusalem Entjha,
in Sotho, means the new paradise. Producer
Tendeka Matatu of Muti Films says many
people from all over the continent travel
to Hillbrow as they see the possibility of a
better life: is it not strange that in such a
world there can still be hope? But a feeling
of deprivation invades the senses, as in this
world the best that most people can hope
for, is to make a quick buck selling crack,
their bodies or cheap orange chips. They
may also be intimidated by people like the
protagonist of Jerusalem Entjha, Lucky
Kunene, a self-made millionaire through the
illicit world of crime. Whatever this place
represents, it is a perfect dramatic backdrop
for a contemporary SA feature film.
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