--
Director Maynaard Kraak discusses new rom com Vrou Soek Boer --
Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:36
--
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: Maynaard Kraak, the director of new Afrikaans romantic comedy Vrou Soek Boer, talks to Screen Africa about why he thinks the movie will be a success at the box office, the important role casting played in anticipating the film s success and the positive feedback he s received from audiences.
With Vrou Soek Boer, I set out to make a romantic comedy that stayed true to the genre, that was honest and rang true to the film s core themes. It is also important to shift away from slapstick yet to remain within the commercial realm. My burning desire is for South African film to make that step forward, and for our audiences across the language and race demographic to be proud of our own stories brought to the screen, says Kraak.
He mentions that it is difficult to compare South African films to international movies to which we are accustomed. Vrou Soek Boer is cinematic, even for a talking-heads genre like a rom com, and takes the viewer on a journey, Kraak continues. The entertainment may be light, but the story maintains its integrity, and is always truthful. And you genuinely laugh out loud at the fresh dialogue and inventive characters. This is a story that is what it says on the can it is a romantic comedy, in the true sense of the word.
Competitive local landscape
In terms of financial viability in the competitive Afrikaans film landscape, Kraak says that his objective was to make a commercial feature film, which is why he chose to produce an Afrikaans film in the romantic comedy genre.
Comments Kraak: The Afrikaans market was saturated last year, and with so many movies in cinemas, audiences were bound to more selective about what they chose to watch, resulting in many films failing at the box office. With this in mind, I knew that a good screenplay was not enough and that casting the movie with the correct mix of actors was always going to be critical. I had Lika Berning in mind for the lead role early on. Not only had I worked with her previously, but she had not been in a leading role since Liefling, the highest grossing Afrikaans film at the box office in recent history.
He elaborates, Next I had to cast the male romantic leads, and my first thought was Nico Panagio for whom I have the utmost respect as a film actor. Not only was he the lead in Semi-Soet, but his profile as one of the sexiest men in South Africa, convinced me that he was the right choice. Then to complete the love triangle, I had to bring in an actor with the same sex appeal and profile.
After I saw Platteland, I knew that Bok van Blerk was the one. His understated and natural performance would work perfectly on the big screen. At the end of the day, the box office success will be determined by the public, but we stand a better chance with the stars we have in the film.
Positive feedback
According to Kraak, test audiences provided only positive feedback, and the Johannesburg premiere of the film at Montecasino was a huge success. Says Kraak: The audience loved the charming and funny characters, and particularly enjoyed the on-screen chemistry between the lead actors. Furthermore, there has been an electrifying buzz around the film particularly in the build up to the premiere, and subsequently, as we await the release of the picture. The response on social media has been incredible, and currently our Facebook followers number in excess of 13,400.
Kraak comments that Vrou Soek Boer is essentially a universal story that will appeal across a wide spectrum. It is your quintessential date movie, with a female protagonist who is thrust into a fish-out-of-water situation. Will she overcome the challenges a professional city girl will encounter in the countryside and will she find true love? There are many obstacles in her path to happiness, not least of all herself.
Vrou Soek Boer was shot on the Red Epic with Anamorphic Prime lenses to showcase South Africa s beautiful locations. Add to that a fabulous soundtrack, and we have a thoroughly enjoyable picture that invites the audience to escape their daily grind, albeit for only a couple of hours. I trust though, that the film will dwell fondly in their memories for after that, and that the desire will be there to watch it again, concludes Kraak.
Vrou Soek Boer was funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
Vrou Soek Boer was produced by Johannesburg-based West Five Films and screens nationwide in South Africa from Friday 7 March through Times Media Films.
Report by Martie Bester
Related Articles
Vrou Soek Boer Subtitled TrailerNew Afrikaans-language film Vrou Soek Boer releases in South Africa on 7 March and in Australia at the end of March...
Read more...
First-time director for new Afrikaans romantic comedy I really like the romantic comedy genre, says first-time director Maynard Kraak who is at the helm of new Afrikaans movie Vrou Soek Boer...
Read more...
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
21/04/2026
Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...
21/04/2026
The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...
21/04/2026
5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...
21/04/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...
21/04/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...
21/04/2026
Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...
21/04/2026
Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...
21/04/2026
Fox Sports has selected Appear as a technology partner to support the next phase...
21/04/2026
Diversified has appointed Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to lead the company's commercial organisation. The appointment follows the firm'...
21/04/2026
Layercake has formalised the integration of Bitmovin's video streaming infra...
21/04/2026
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has extended its distribution partnershi...
21/04/2026
Glookast has launched the Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin for its Media Producer and Me...
21/04/2026
Eutelsat has entered into an agreement with Cadena Tres, a division of Grupo Ima...
21/04/2026
Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have partnered to introduce Dolby Atmos immersive audio to free-to-air television broadcasts. The implementation utilises the A...
21/04/2026
FOX Entertainment partnered with Verizon to overcome significant production hurd...
21/04/2026
Osprey Video has announced its technology showcase for the NAB Show 2026, highli...
21/04/2026
Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) introduced a range of new solutions at NAB S...
21/04/2026
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...
21/04/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine Immersive 100G, an immersive cinem...
21/04/2026
Clark Wire & Cable is continuing its evolution from cable supplier to full-scale solutions partner for broadcast and live production. At the 2026 NAB Show, we s...
21/04/2026
Rashad Frett attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Ricky at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shut...
21/04/2026
Five years ago, Spotify arrived in Pakistan, opening a new chapter in the country's music scene. Since then, local listeners have explored across genres, ge...
21/04/2026
Since its launch in 2020, RADAR has been our program for spotlighting emerging artists around the world. This year marks the sixth edition of RADAR Spain, our o...
21/04/2026
Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards
Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...
21/04/2026
Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives
Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...
21/04/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Vali...
21/04/2026
MAS and Lockheed Martin partner to establish an F-35 depot in Canada, enabling in-country sustainment and creating high-skilled aerospace jobs....
21/04/2026
Advertising strategies shift as competition grows for a large, active and qualit...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-End Media Orchestration w...
21/04/2026
Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse...
21/04/2026
On-Premise AI Suite from Studio Network Solutions Debuts at NAB Show 2026
Melanie Ciotti April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Unlimited processing, no cloud depe...
21/04/2026
London, 21 April 2026 IBC today announced the appointment of Tim Banham as its first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), a newly created role that reflects the or...
21/04/2026
Motion Design Tools - April 2026
Roland Kahlenberg April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Within 2 days, Maxon and Canva announced pro-level motion design apps - A...
21/04/2026
Chaos and Zero Density to Showcase Real-Time Ray Tracing for Virtual Studios and...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
-- 
