South African film company acquires film rights to international bestseller

10 March, 2017 - 07:04

Boondogle Films is very pleased to announce that it has acquired the film rights to acclaimed writer Michela Wrong's first novel, Borderlines, a legal thriller revolving around a border dispute between two fictional countries in the Horn of Africa.

Young British lawyer Paula Shackleton, mourning her lost love, travels to a fledgling African state to help settle a border dispute. But as the despotic regime clamps down, she retaliates, crossing professional boundaries - jeopardising herself and her mission.

The book probes the motives behind Western engagement with the African continent and questions the value of universal justice, against a backdrop of escalating tension and deadly courtroom warring between the two sides.

Rich with the textures of the Horn of Africa, the novel was highly praised by The Guardian, Financial Times and The Spectator, amongst others, and Boondogle Films is excited about its cinematic potential.

Meg Rickards, who will write and direct, working again with cinematographer Bert Haitsma, says of the project, I'm tired of saviour movies set in Africa, so it is refreshing to encounter spiky, obdurate Paula, who ruthlessly interrogates her own role as an outsider and ostensible doNgooder on the continent. The novel's exploration of moral ambiguity - personal and professional - is a blast of invigorating air.'

British writer Michela Wrong comments: I wrote Borderlines with an eventual feature film very much in mind, so it's tremendously exciting to see this hope becoming a reality. It's particularly satisfying to see the option being taken up by an African production company. Meg and her team immediately understood the book's central themes and my character's driving concerns, and I know they will do Borderlines justice.'

Boondogle's first feature film, Tess, has recently been released theatrically in South Africa and has been picked up for international distribution by the Little Film Company, based in Los Angeles. Tess won several awards at the Durban International Film Festival and went on to show at festivals in New Delhi, Brussels and Gothenburg.

Paul Egan and Kim Williams make up the Boondogle team and are attached to produce Borderlines, in conjunction with international partners. They say, We have been looking for a story that is compelling and contains thoughtNprovoking content that will resonate with a broad audience. Borderlines fits the description perfectly.'

For further information:

www.michelawrong.com

www.boondogle.co.za

Films in Production

Africa South Africa

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