Directed by Amy Jephta and produced by Ephraim Gordon, co-founders of production company PaperJet Films, Barakat – South Africa’s first Muslim film in Afrikaans – is scheduled for release in cinemas in May 2021.
Filmed in Lansdowne and Athlone on the Cape Flats, the film follows the Davids family, as they try to recover from the loss of their father. Aisha Davids, a widow, has to preserve the peace between four sons struggling to come to terms with the death of their father, two years after the fact. An Arabic word meaning blessings, Barakat is a story about celebrating life, culture and the importance of family. The film’s cast includes actress Vinette Ebrahim, Joey Rasdien, Mortimer Williams, Keeno-Lee Hector and Danny Ross. The cast also includes Quanita Adams, Bonnie Mbuli, Leslie Fong and June van Merch.
The screenplay is by writing-producing team Amy Jephta and Ephraim Gordon, who made their debut at South Africa’s 2017 kykNET Silwerskerm Festival with their short film SOLDAAT (Soldier), for which they won Best Screenplay and Best Short. The film is to be directed by Jephta.