Nu Metro will release Oliver Rodger’s romantic comedy, I Now Pronounce You Black and White, on 14 May 2010. The Ollywood Productions film tells the story of a white, Jewish groom (Tyrel Meyer – The Deal) engaged to a black, Christian bride (Astara Mwakalumbwa – Long Street), much to the horror of both sets of parents.

Ian Roberts (who seems to star in almost every South African feature film) and Bo Peterson (Endgame) play the groom’s disapproving parents, while Sylvia Mdunyelwa and her real-life husband, Kwezi Kobus, are as much of a challenge on the bride’s side. Watch out for comedian Nik Rabinowitz in a cameo as a twaza to Tina Jaxa’s (Madame & Eve) sangoma, in what Oliver calls “the funniest scene in the movie.”

Oliver says, “Hollywood’s always had a fascination with ‘boy meets girl, girl’s parents hate boy, boy and girl ignore parents,’ in films like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Meet The Parents, and The Birdcage. But none of these have been set in South Africa, where there’s so much more substance. Everyone can relate to a wedding movie and my girlfriend is coloured, so the subject matter is close to my heart. I can still walk down the street holding my girlfriend’s hand and get a disapproving look.”

The story of how the 29-year-old made his first feature is nearly as dramatic as many films.  Having worked mainly in call centres, Oliver decided to pursue his film dreams after a quarter life crisis induced by a friend of the same age who found out he had cancer. His entry into the film world was shooting a 13-episode travel series, Four Men and a Lady. “A friend and his wife adopted two boys, then fell pregnant, but they decided to travel around the world with three kids under two years old – Cape Town, Perth, Hong Kong, St. Petersburg, Oslo, London and San Francisco. They asked me to film it and offered to buy me a camera in return.” The show’s preview is on the Sky Travel website.

On the advice of Cooked in Africa’s Justin Bonello, he bought the Sony EX1, as it allowed him to shoot HD straight onto card. “I ended up buying the third one in South Africa,” Oliver says.  He asked a cameraman to give him a crash course and shot the first episode on automatic. “It was tricky but not that hard,” he says. “You can strap on a radio mike and record something quite nice.”

With the camera in place, he focused on the script, writing seven drafts over 18 months. “I wrote the first draft back in 2007/08 and it was more of a story about a British guy coming to South Africa for the first time but I think the comedy appealed more to me than it did to anyone reading it." "I kept rewriting it and it just developed into a very typical romcom that has a broad appeal to any South African.”

He then started putting the team in place. “My initial plan was to make it with just my friend Kirk Krotz, a graphic designer who I’d worked with at the call centre. But I realised I needed a sound guy.”

Kirk ended up as assistant director, co-producer and editor, while Greg Albert signed on for sound, but only on condition that the crew grew to include an assistant director, a director of photography, and a gaffer.

Oliver laughs, “I actually asked Greg what DoP stands for, but in the end we had between 18-20 crew on set at any time.”

Before settling on Gavin Goodman, Oliver had a hard time finding a director of photography who was willing to work with no lens, no adapter and no dollies, just a tripod. “Luckily he was keen to do a feature and willing to work within the constraints,” Oliver says. Mike Carstensen’s steadicam rig created some extra options.

Oliver originally wanted Mara Louw in Sylvia’s role. ”But she wanted to fly down first class.” In contrast, Ian Roberts drove down and stayed with his sister in Plumstead. “He was always the dad for me,” Oliver says.

“I basically stalked him for three months. He’s been stereotyped as a racist Afrikaner, so he didn’t want to do it until I explained it was a comedy.”

All the locations bar one were free, wardrobe was scrounged together, and the film was shot on a shoestring budget, raised largely from overseas friends and family. “I’m a Brit, so the helpful bodies here were not very helpful,” Oliver explains.

Looking back on his decision to direct a feature film with almost no experience, Oliver’s only regret is that he didn’t do it when he was 20.

“It doesn’t have to be as hard as people make out, but it’s a huge commitment. I haven’t earned money for two years. Do it when you’re single.”

The writer-director-producer would also like to be less of a hyphenate on the next one. “Everyone I know told me not to produce and direct,” he admits. “I should have listened.” 

For more information, please click here. Watch the trailer.

Kevin Kriedemann