Sanjeev Singh, Videovision Entertainment’s Director of Acquisition and Distribution announced today the acquisition of the film, Suffragette which coincides with National Women’s Day on 9 August. The official trailer of the film will be launched online and in cinemas in South Africa on 14 August 2015 as part of Women’s Month.
Suffragette, which is made on the backdrop of the movement of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage in the United Kingdom where women fought for suffrage, i.e. the right to vote, often using both non-violent and violent protest action in their tactics. The members of the movement were dubbed ‘suffragettes’, hence the title of the film. The film is directed by Sarah Gavron and features a star studded cast which includes Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Romola Garai, Anne-Marie Duff, Brendan Gleeson and Ben Whishaw.
The ‘suffragette movement’ bears a parallel to the struggle of South African women who, on 9 August 1956 descended on the Union Buildings in their thousands to petition against the country’s pass laws that required South Africans defined as “black” under The Population Registration Act to carry a pass, which served to maintain population segregation, control urbanisation, and manage migrant labour during apartheid. As a tribute to these brave women, South Africa celebrates National Women’s Day annually on 9 August.
The film, Suffragette, is a thrilling film that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality – their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives.
Commenting on the acquisition, Sanjeev Singh said, “Suffragette tells the story of brave women in the United Kingdom who fought the establishment to achieve equal rights. Their story is similar to the struggle of our own South African women who were worse off under apartheid, but were courageous enough to protest against the brutal apartheid state. We are delighted to have acquired the film ahead of Women’s Day as a tribute to these brave women. We expect the film to be a major awards contender at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and the Academy Awards season.”
Suffragette will be released in South Africa by Videovision Entertainment through United International Pictures (South Africa).
Photo material at: Suffragette Group Picture (click hyperlink for access)
Caption: Depicted in the photograph are the stars of the film Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff and Meryl Streep; the director, Sarah Gavron; the screenwriter, Abi Morgan; and the producers, Faye Ward and Alison Owen. They are joined by Helen and Laura Pankhurst, great-grand-daughter and great-great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the Suffragette movement. The photograph was taken by Brigitte Lacombe in London on 12th February 2015.
For Further Information:
Nilesh Singh
Tel: 031 2046050
E-mail: nilesh@videovision.co.za
