ntsoana

Matwetwe. Ace shit. Hyper-relatable. Anchored by a front-porch trio steeped tongue-deep in Spitori’s inventive linguistic twists, featuring a hood genius and his bathroom rapper and business mogul-aspirant friend, who mix in and out of the lives of a rolling cast of kasi residents.

Their motive? Push trees. The strain? Matwetwe.

Viewers also get to witness the evolution of Little Brown Kau, the human-cow boeta who was a constant feature on the epic comedy sketch show Pure Monate Show.

It’s a dope one, despite the missed opportunity of having the sound of li-cricket feature prominently, what with the film unfolding over the course of a New Year’s eve.

Talk has abounded about how the feature-length tragicomedy, adopted for screenplay and directed by grootman van dala Kagiso Lediga, was not marketed properly. It’s not clear what properly means, and one doubts that people who ascribe power to that statement have taken time to observe the mechanics of a pale skin-favouring industry.

The film ecosystem in South Africa doesn’t sway to the whims of black filmmakers.

Here are two promotional ideas the Executive Producers and their strategists could have considered:

-The music selection on the film is top notch. Songs by Khuli Chana, Itai Hakim, Zoocci Coke Dope and Dr Philip Tabane’s Malombo interact with the storyline in cautious and intricate ways. The selection helps drive the narrative, which results in an enjoyable watch. So, why not make a playlist of the music featured, and make a deal with Apple  Music and Spotify to feature it prominently on their front stores on the Friday during which your film opens?

-There is no on-line home for the film. No website, no social media. This means missed opportunities to sell merchandise. The possibilities are limitless; limited edition prints, collaborations with craftsmen and illustrators, and so forth.

• Matwetwe is currently on circuit at cinemas and independent film houses throughout South Africa.