Hollywood Heart returns to Cape Town presentation. Credits: http://www.hollywoodheart.org/Pages/Newsroom/22CallsheetJune.pdf

1. Hollywood Heart returns to Cape Town
RETURNING for its third year in from the village. 12 children were se- rience them and have copies and
the Mother City, Hollywood Heart, lected to take part in this year’s pro- it’s their special thing. We do like to
with the support of the Cape Film gramme, serviced by Velocity Afrika. share them with all the participants
Commission (CFC), descended on The theme for the film? Revenge and our supporters to let everyone
Cape Town with their one-of-a-kind never solves anything. know to what end their hard work
filmmaking workshop, Movie Team. According to Gemma Dempsey, has gone,” says Lisa.
Movie Team was established in 2000 vice president of Hollywood Heart, Hollywood Heart does bring
by Hollywood Heart, a Los Angeles “The purpose of Movie Team is to copies of the films back to the US
non-profit organisation that provides be a teambuilding and motivating to show their board of directors the
recreational and educational oppor- experience through movie making. progress they have made abroad,.
tunities to at-risk youth. Hollywood We do it in a very short period of However, the footage is mainly for
Heart has been running workshops time and rely on partnerships and the participants eyes only. “We don’t
all around the United States since collaborations that are already es- ever want to compromise the situa-
1994 and in 2006 they brought the tablished organisations.” tion of children by advertising the
Movie Team programme to Cape The CFC stepped up to fulfil this stigma associated with HIV/Aids or
Town as an annual workshop. role and have become official part- poverty in South Africa,” says Lisa.
Against the odds of bad weather ners of the Cape-based programme. While the programme is cur-
Local DOP, Sven Vosloo, shows an SOS child the art of filmmaking
and the recent xenophobic attacks, Lisa says, “When we initially came rently only run in Cape Town and
Movie Team was able to complete here, we sourced an organisation various areas of the US, Lisa and
three separate programmes in on our own called James House in Gemma say there is always the
Cape Town in Hermanus, Thornton Hout Bay. Soon after we met with possibility for expansion. “It really
and Gugulethu. The Callsheet the CFC, who were excited about depends on interested groups in
Newspaper caught up with the team the programme we had done and other provinces as to whether we
during their Thornton shoot at the wanted to collaborate with us by will hold workshops in other areas
SOS Children’s Village. bringing in production companies to of South Africa,” says Lisa. “Even
Lisa Cavanaugh, executive di- support the initiative.” visiting different organisations in
rector for Hollywood Heart, says, During the workshop, the chil- Cape Town each year is challeng-
“We choose to work in Cape Town dren are involved with every aspect ing because we want to keep a
for two reasons: because of the of the filmmaking process. “They balance between reaching out to a
vibrant film community here and come up with the idea, the char- variety of kids while also providing
to help kids impacted by HIV and acters, the plot and the dialogue, continuity and consistency.”
AIDS. Our original mission is to mostly from their own experiences. Laurence Mitchell, the Cape
Hollywood Heart executive director, Lisa Cavanaugh, with two of the SOS children
help at-risk youth and we were Then they learn how to run camera Film Commissioner, says, “We are
aware that the AIDS pandemic in sound,” says Lisa. “However, on the delighted in the response from the
Thanks go to the following for their support of the initiative: Velocity Films, Groundglass, SOS Sub-Saharan Africa was severe. day of the shoot, they get to be the industry, particularly Groundglass,
Children’s Village, Ubuntu Project in Barcelona, Gugulethu, Waterfront Studios / Condor Post However, the kids we work with in stars. We have a full production crew Velocity Films, and Waterfront
for offering an editing suite for both Movie Team Projects, Avis Car Hire, Cellular, Hermanus South Africa need not necessarily that film and direct them.” Studios in supporting this social and
Tourism Board, Misty Waves Boutique Hotel, Etoille Guest Lodge, Lynne Matthysen Catering,
be affected by the disease to take At the end of the process, the human investment project. The re-
Gloss Artist Management, Waan Security, Nautilus Film Crew, Call a Crew, Pulse Crew Agents,
Radical Crew, Visual Impact Magus, Tempest, Imperial Truck Hire, Atkinson, Props to the part in the workshop.” footage is put on to DVD for each lationship with the Hollywood film in-
Stars, The Prop House, Annie’s Wardrobe, Level Unit Gear, Knowledge Is Power Productions This is the second time Movie of the participants, as well as dustry has seen significant progress
– Behind the Scenes, Full Dimension Studios, Panalux / Panacam, Alex Catering, Ikraal, Team has come to the SOS screened at their very own RAP par- in that more of their senior leader-
Magus Visual, Film & Lighting, Jeff Hod, William Boyes Art Department, Hire It Lower Truck
Hire, Wendy Alport, Ikho Productions, Anderson Insurance Brokers and CGM Insurance. Children’s Village. Two years ago the ty. “Primarily the purpose of making ship has taken up the opportunity to
team held a workshop for 15 children these movies is that the kids expe- come and volunteer in South Africa.”
22 Volume Five • Issue Five • Tel: +27(0)21 674 0646 • Fax: +27(0)21 674 6691 • Email: info@thecallsheet.co.za