British actor Idris Elba and South African politicians and entertainers came out to celebrate the premiere of the long anticipated Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom movie.
Guests including Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Trevor Manuel, Naledi Pandor, Dali Mpofu, Khanyi Dhlomo, John Kani and Zikhona Sodlaka to show their support.
Produced by Anant Singh and directed by Justin Chadwick, this is the first movie about former president Nelson Mandela to be endorsed by the Mandela family.
The film stars Elba as Mandela, Naomie Harris, who plays Mandela's former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Jamie Bartlett, Sthandiwe and Tony Kgoroge, Terry Pheto, Atandwa Kani and Riaad Moosa.
Singh said: "We took great care with the details.
"We even had to rebuild the Robben Island prison and the court.
"We had to get it right."
The movie, which was financed in South Africa is said to have cost about R300 million ($30m) and took two-and-a-half years to complete.
On Saturday a press conference took place at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, Johannesburg and was attended by the star cast.
Elba was not at the conference because he was delayed by an asthma attack as he was boarding the plane for South Africa.
Speaking at the conference, Tokyo Sexwale welcomed the cast and said: "Madiba says about his state of health that he is not ill, he is just old. Anant's movie is endorsed by the big man himself."
The movie's first release in South Africa will be on 28 November and it will be released in the USA and other parts of the world after that.
- Dailysun
0