--
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 ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
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...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
02/07/2026
Maxon Autograph: Introduction to working with Tables
Simon Ubsdell July 1, 2026
0 Comments
An overview of Autograph's ridiculously powerful tables...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
02/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Med Tech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might thin...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
-- 
