19 January, 2018 - 08:03
It's an industry most people never get to see in action but brings millions of dollars into Africa each year. Movies are fast becoming big business with the value of the rand making it even more attractive. American producer Dexter Davis is here to find African talent and turn them into Hollywood stars. By Jay Caboz
Every day, there is a small corner of Africa that is Hollywood. The economy of South Africa may be struggling, but its movie industry is on the up. This is because the weakness of the rand is making production costs cheaper to shoot big budget films.
A string of blockbusters were made here: The Dark Tower; Avengers: Age of Ultron;Maze Runner: The Death Cure; and Tomb Raider, all made amid Africa's rolling scenery, state-of-the-art studios and by skilled homegrown technicians. It could be so beautiful except
[The] trouble is international producers are not casting African talent in their films, so African and South African actors are not participating or benefiting from the exchange It's high time for South African talent and stories to get out of the shadow of their American and European counterparts.
So says Dexter Davis, American-born producer and founder of D Street Media Group, who has produced a number of movies in South Africa. He believes Cape Town could be the training ground for a new generation of homegrown stars, destined for Hollywood, in the footsteps of Lupita Nyong'o and Charlize Theron.
I call South Africa the new frontier, especially when it comes to an abundance of under-saturated talent. Being so geographically far from the US, the world has not been exposed to the level of amazing South African talent that I have. There are many more Charlize Therons, Dave Matthews, Pearl Thusis out there waiting to be discovered, says Davis.
Davis is here with his latest film The Blue Mauritius. The movie, which echoes Ocean's Eleven and The Italian Job, is about five international thieves who meet in Cape Town planning to steal one of the most valuable stamps in the world, believed to be worth $11 million.
The idea for the film came from me actually I was living in Berlin to set up our German subsidiary of D Street. One day I met with my accountant and he mentioned he was going to The Museum for Communication in Berlin after our meeting to see a famous stamp called the Blue Mauritius. He talked about the history and mystery behind the stamp and because I had been thinking about one day producing a heist film, I immediately went home to research the stamp.
The location was to be Canada, Davis switched to Africa because it offered more bang for his buck.
I met a couple of South African producers in Cannes in 2015 who wanted to work with me and vice versa. We were planning to shoot The Blue Mauritius in Canada, but the budget was too high. They suggested shooting the film in South Africa as it would be less expensive. I was thrilled with the idea and thought not only would we shoot the film there, but I would change the script to be very South African in terms of the story, says Davis.
The story could take place in any big city with a skyline, museums, chic hotels and restaurants. Cape Town definitely has all that. The beauty of Cape Town is really one of the stars in the film and I can't wait for the world to see it through our lens.
Every movie has its fair share of glitches; The Blue Mauritius also has its low watermark. Filming was set for August, but was pushed until 2018 when lead actor Eric Dane, McSteamy' from Grey's Anatomy, withdrew because of depression.
I can talk about it openly because he was very public about it. He took time off to get better so that obviously affected our production. We're recasting now and looking at March 2018 as our new start date.
Back on track with its California-based production partner, Benaroya Pictures, the film has a new member of the cast - Anthony Mackie, the American superstar from the The Hurt Locker as well as Captain America and Avengers.
Anthony Mackie, who I consider a real movie star, brings such a fresh perspective to the cast and the character, he's an incredibly talented, versatile actor who truly takes the project to the next level.
The Blue Mauritius will test D Street's promise to identify stars in Africa. The producers cast South African actors Deon Lotz, Pearl Thusi and Nicola Breytenbach in principal roles, alongside international stars John Rhys-Davies, Gerard Depardieu and Thomas Kretschmann.
Think about Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o in Twelve Years a Slave No one knew who she was before the movie, but by being in a film with Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor, she not only got the attention of the Academy voters which ultimately lead to the Oscar, but that film alone catapulted her to instant stardom, says Davis.
What goes a long way for African actors is speaking English. Davis says their accents, regardless of race, are much more palatable to American ears.
Touchvision enables creative professionals to achieve stellar growth
Request a trial, book a demo or call us for a chat
Get New Film Business in 2018
Select your Membership
With these advantages, I feel there is no reason why South African talent cannot do what British, Australian or New Zealand actors have done for decades. They drop their accents, do very convincing American accents, star in American films and become household names around the world.
Davis, who came to South Africa in 2009, was hooked by its beauty and its people. Eight years on, he has produced South African-based film Musiek vir die Agtergrond, and his distribution arm, D Street Releasing, acquired another Afrikaans film, Roepman, for the US market. He has also signed up for the long haul with plans to build a movie studio in the small town of Port
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
16/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: FUJIFILM Execs on GFX ETERNA 55 Camera, Importance of Shallow-Dept...
16/10/2025
Squash's Most Ambitious Broadcast Production To Be Deployed at Comcast Busin...
16/10/2025
Main Street Sports Group Inks Deal With Omaha Productions, Launches Original-Con...
16/10/2025
A Historic Precursor? FIFA, HBS, DAZN Offer an Inside Look at Production of FIFA...
16/10/2025
Prime Video Offers Sneak Peak at New NBA on Prime StudioThe massive 13,000-sq-ft, two-story studio features a LED regulation half court and hoopBy Jason Dachman...
16/10/2025
SVG Remote Production Forum Draws Record Crowd for Visit to PGA TOUR Studios, De...
16/10/2025
BitFire's Ben Grafchik on How Growing Cloud Workflows Are Impacting the Live...
16/10/2025
AI technology is advancing quickly, bringing both new creative possibilities and...
16/10/2025
In 2017, Imani Ellis launched CultureCon, a conference that's become a must-attend event for more than 10,000 diverse creatives and Black professionals to c...
16/10/2025
It might still be a little early to break out the tinsel and mistletoe, but Spotify's already queuing up some holiday magic. This year's Spotify Singles...
16/10/2025
Earlier this year, our in-house publishing imprint, Spotify Audiobooks, put out ...
16/10/2025
VAMPIRE has been integrated onto GM Defenses Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), providing a mobile solution to effectively and affordably counter small drone threat...
16/10/2025
The AgilePod mounted on the host aircraft....
16/10/2025
60% say infotainment systems are a critical purchasing or leasing consideration,...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its 2025 Year-End Giving Campaign, which seeks to raise donations from tax-deductible personal and ...
16/10/2025
Roku has added several new features to its user interface and operating system meant to make it easier to discover and personalize content, the company said....
16/10/2025
NEW YORK CNN has announced that its All Access subscription tier will launch in the U.S. on Oct. 28, providing audiences with a centralized destination for CNN&...
16/10/2025
Student Spotlight: Alan Villanueva The graduate student and saxophonist, who performed on Natalia Lafourcades Latin Grammy-nominated Live at Carnegie Hall alb...
16/10/2025
The XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) has announced the third cohort of members. The new members include Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the Vegas Golden Kni...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its 2025 Year-End Giving Campaign which seeks to raise donations from tax-deductible personal and c...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK Australia's Nine Network and the NHL today announced a media partnership that will bring the world's premier professional ice hockey league to ...
16/10/2025
Parks Associates has released new data showing that nearly half (45%) of U.S. internet homes watch free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services and 89% of U.S...
16/10/2025
TROY, Mich. -New data from J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Study shows that residential wireless internet providers are growing...
16/10/2025
TV's most charming detective drama * Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investi...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Thailand's Legendary Outlaw Returns: Tee Yai: Born to be ...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Christmas Is Just Around The Corner: Home For Christmas Season...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Trist n Ulloa Stars in El crimen de Pazos, the New Netflix Ser...
16/10/2025
ABS Completes Redomiciliation to Dubai Development Authority as Part of Strategi...
16/10/2025
This Saturday October 18 Katja Mia will burst onto the radio airwaves for the first time as she joins 2FM. Katja will be standing in for Bl thnaid Treacy on Sat...
16/10/2025
This October, RT is delighted to support Wexford Festival Opera, Babor International Arts Festival for Children, Open House Dublin and 36 other arts and cultu...
16/10/2025
GeForce NOW is more than just a platform to stream fresh games every week - it offers celebrations for the gamers who make it epic, with member rewards to sweet...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
19 January, 2018 - 08:03 
