Just when ol'Father Geek had given you guys up for dead, you stomp out of the jungle just in time to celebrate your 100th Africa-AICN column... that's great, because I wasn't looking forward to para-gliding into the interior to search for your month old corpses... well, maybe Head Nurse Hollis' body would have been worth the trip... even cold. Anyway welcome back to the reel world of cyber space. Believe it or not I've been getting E-mail asking what was up with the column, and having lost total contact I could only assume the worse...

Hey everyone, remember me? DR.SOTHA AKA Biological genius and African Film Connoisseur. Well you should, I’ve received extensive media coverage for a number of my sublime inventions, including ‘the monkey hemorrhage extractulator’, ‘the G4 ARACHNID anti-ache spray’ and ‘the hair recycle denominator’ (among others), and I’ve also been running the Africa-AICN column over the last 2 years. Unfortunately over the last month, myself, NURSE HOLLIS, and Rigobert Song have been incognito in the Congolese jungle hunting maroon ants that carry the cure for ‘sweaty palms’. Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘this condition has been baffling scientists and the medical profession forever, why didn’t they ever think of that?’ Well, I’ll tell you why, because they never scoured Africa for the cure. The word you’re looking for is ‘visionary’. On behalf of Hollis and Song I accept your compliment.

Although we’ve been away for a while, this is officially the 100th Africa-AICN column. Thanks to all who contributed and supported us third-worlders.

Keep it real and send us your comments to My Super Secret South African Experimental Clinic...

SOUTH AFRICA

* South African Producer, Anant Singh has acquired the much sought-after film rights to mind-body guru Deepak Chopra's fictional works ‘The Return Of Merlin and Soulmate’. The deal was negotiated and concluded during Chopra's visit to South Africa last week. The rights to The Return Of Merlin were originally controlled by Peter Guber (Batman, Batman Returns) of Columbia Pictures. Soulmate delves into the concept of life and love after death and of people being contacted from the spiritual realm, which has been explored in films like Ghost, Truly Madly Deeply and The Sixth Sense. The Return Of Merlin traces the events of the court of King Arthur who was slain in battle centuries ago by his evil bastard son, Mordred, using the spells of evil witches. Merlin's apprentice Melchior who is powerless to stop the chain of events has a spell cast upon him, turning him into a dragonfly. He wakes up 12 centuries later. According to Singh, Soulmate, which reminds him of Ghost, has tr! emendous cinematic possibilities while The Return of Merlin is very much in line with the current trend fantasy films like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. "We are thrilled to be working with Deepak in developing these projects and bringing them to the big screen," says Singh.

* Continuing its string of acquiring music-related documentaries, Artisan Pictures has nabbed North American distribution rights to the docu "Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony," directed by Lee Hirsch. The film, which centers on the role of music in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival, where it won the fest's documentary audience award and the freedom of expression trophy. The docu will have an accompanying soundtrack distributed by ATO Records in October. A release date for the film has not been set.

* Cynthia Stevenson, Judge Reinhold, Martin Henderson, Ian McShane and (South African actor who played The Mummy in The Mummy) ARNOLD VOSLOO are in negotiations to join the cast of the MGM feature "Cody Banks" for director Harald Zwart. Shooting begins at the end of the month. "Banks" stars Frankie Muniz as a teenager who becomes a James Bond-type teen when he is drafted by the U.S. government for covert missions requiring youth-sized participants. Hilary Duff plays Lynne, his love interest. Stevenson ("Happiness") and Reinhold ("Beverly Hills Cop") will play Muniz's parents, who have no idea that their son is a junior spy

* A pilot for US broadcaster NBC about a veterinarian from Los Angeles who comes to Africa to head a game park when he loses his job, was shot just outside Johannesburg. The US$2-million pilot was written and exec produced by Thomas Lynch who exec produced NBC's Just Deal and Skate. Ed Quinn plays the role of the vet and Mel Harris plays his wife. Half the cast are South Africans. The director is Eric Laneuville (I Fly Away) and the pilot has already been presented to NBC. If NBC gives it the pilot the nod, filming will start in July, with the first episode set for screening in September.

* This is such a silly story but it goes to show that South African women are not easily amused by fame and fortune…Film funnyman Jim Carrey was brought down to earth when a stunning model rejected his advances. The Me, Myself & Irene star approached South African beauty Dune Kossatz and asked her for a date. After she politely declined a one-to-one with the actor, Carrey asked Kossatz if she'd seen his 1994 hit movie The Mask. A tactless Kossatz replied, "I'm not going to see that shit!"

* Sithengi has announced that it will be launching its first Sithengi Film Festival to complement the existing Sithengi Film and Television Market which will be held at the Artscape Complex in Cape Town from 11 to 14 November. Sithengi has issued a call for entries for the festival which will run from 9 to 16 November in various cinemas around Cape Town. The festival will have four components - The Main Festival; The Children's Programme Festival; Resfest Africa; and African DVD Festival. Feature films, short feature films and documentaries will form part of the Main Festival. The emphasis will be on films from developing countries, especially Africa. Films by Aboriginal people will also be screened in the "First Nation" section. The Children's Programme Festival is aimed at improving the quality and quantity of Chirdren's programmes broadcast in Africa. Anyone with a Children's Programme or film especially from Africa or other develop! ing countries can submit programmes to the Festival on VHS.

* Three of the six films which comprise ‘Mama Africa’, the landmark series of short films directed by African women from different regions of the continent, will be showing at Ster-Kinekor cinemas throughout South Africa. Initiated by Zimmedia's Simon Bright (executive producer of the series), Mama Africa was produced in partnership with pay-TV broadcaster M-Net, Wellspring and the Independent Television Network, Hivos and the Netherlands Embassy. The three films to be launched by Ster-Kinekor are: Raya (directed by Zulfah Otto Sallies from South Africa); Riches (directed by Ingrid Sinclair from Zimbabwe); and Close up on Bintou (by Fanta Nacro from Burkina Faso). Close up on Bintou" was screened in the Directors Fortnight Section at the Cannes International Film Festival last year and won the Kodak Prize for best short film. New-wave director Fanta Regina Nacro's film is a lighthearted piece that gives a refreshing perspective on village life in Burkina Faso. Raya with R! ehane Abrahams follows the tribulations of three generations of women, their struggles and reconciliation in the coloured community of Cape Town. Inspired by the writings of Bessie Head, Riches starring Cindy Simpson, is the story of a teacher and her son's exit from apartheid South Africa to Zimbabwe. It was awarded the Venice Prize from the 11th African Film Festival in Milan, 2001. The South African theatrical launch takes place on 10 May. This is a collaboration between Zimmedia, Ster-Kinekor, M-Net (project financiers and owners of the Anglophone broadcasting rights), as well as the Film Resource Unit (FRU) the series distributors for the African region. Ster-Kinekor screening details are as follows: Johannesburg at Rosebank starting 10 May; Cape Town at Cavandish Square starting 14 June; Durban at Gateway starting 14 June and Port Elizabeth at Brooklyn starting 2 August.

* Kryptonite Productions is alerting all South African directors and scriptwriters - "young, old, live or dead" (are we talking dead in terms of career? Cause there’s many of those – DR.SOTHA) - to the launch of Midgets. These are six short films (between four and six minutes in length) to be produced for potential screening at the front end of feature films at Ster-Kinekor's Cinema Nouveau. Midgets aims to get directors and scriptwriters to collaborate in the telling of original South African stories. Local scriptwriters and directors are asked to submit show reels and scripts from which Kryptonite Productions and a panel of judges will select a final group of six directors who will shoot one Midget each. The judges will narrow the scripts received to a pool of 12. It will then be up to the six selected directors to pick from the remaining scripts. Two directors have already been short-listed: Matthew Brown from Rolling Pictures (Clowns) and Norman Maake from Terraplane ! (Home Sweet Home, Soldiers of the Rock). All Midgets will be shot on film (unless otherwise requested) and budgets cannot exceed R150 000. Kryptonite Productions will produce the six films. Directors may choose specific crew members and will also be in charge of casting. For more info email Midgets@KryptoSite.co.za .

NORTH AFRICA

* Welcome back Rigobert Song:

It’s good to be back exposing the works of African filmmakers and artists. It’s strange that even though we took a long break from the column that we’ve actually clocked up 100 reports over 2 years. As long as they keep making documentaries like ‘One Shot’, I’ll be here to tell you about them. Remember to email me at My Film Library and Archives with your African film thoughts.

One Shot: The Life and Work of Teenie Harris

Charles "Teenie" Harris loved taking pictures, and he did so with such ease he was given the nickname "One Shot." From 1931-1975, the Pittsburgh Courier photographer combed the streets of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, snapping shots of African American life - everything from sports to jazz to politics and, most of all, everyday life.

Harris, who died in 1998 at age 89, left behind a valuable legacy. Teenie's photographs show the camaraderie, the friendship, and the spirit of community that the mainstream press simply ignored. The film follows Harris's life through his work as one of the "soldiers" of the black press. In its heyday, from 1930 to roughly 1960, the Pittsburgh Courier was the preeminent national newspaper for African Americans. It was the Pittsburgh Courier that turned World War II into a double campaign for many African Americans, as the paper reported the sufferings and achievements of black soldiers, and at the same time, demanded that the United States end racial segregation and discrimination.

The "Double V" campaign - victory over fascism in Europe and racism at home - spearheaded by the Pittsburgh Courier contributed to the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement to come. With its many editions all over the country, the paper served as an advocate for African Americans and it served to unite African American communities.

The documentary blends the photographer's images of the city and its cast of famous and infamous characters with context provided in the narration by actor Roscoe Lee Browne along with the commentary of former Courier staffers, historians, and others, including the aged Harris himself. Harris' images, naturally, are key to the film. Harris never threw one of his 80,000 negatives away. The film is a photographic album of beautiful black and white prints from an era of African American life in danger of being forgotten.

Unique in many ways, photographer Charles "Teenie" Harris was not alone. He was a contemporary of Gordon Parks, who was the first black photographer who traveled extensively beyond his own community while on assignment. But as a member of the community where he worked, Harris portrayed what he knew. With his lens, through his eyes, viewers see handsome young men of color dressed in fashionable suits, a coyly confident young woman dancing, star-gazing autograph seekers brimming with admiration, and a soda-jerk serving up his charming pride. Viewers are treated to a line-up of kids cooling themselves in an open hydrant, a very junior boxer proud of the gloves that outsize his own head, a young crossing guard fully in control of his post.

Teenie Harris' images captured a beautiful, vibrant social life in which people were proud and driven and celebrated life in spite of the barriers of racism. In the face of expanding multi-media choices for consumers and the decline and destruction of once all-black communities, they serve as a reminder of the importance of self-representation, community beacons and advocates.

* U2 frontman Bono met French President Jacques Chirac Thursday to discuss Africa, the third world and a summit of industrialized nations. The "Beautiful Day" singer, who recently joined United States Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill on a tour of Africa to press for debt relief, attended a meeting at the presidential Elysee Palace. Bono and Chirac discussed the forthcoming Group of Eight meeting in Canada, which will be held next week.

* About 30 feature films representing the finest of African and South African cinema, plus a selection of documentaries and shorts, will be screened at venues around Durban from 1 - 7 July. The African Union Film Festival screenings will form part of the African Union Summit which takes place at the ICC in Durban at the end of June. The objective of the gathering of African leaders is to officially launch the African Union which it is hoped will result in a shift in global perception about the continent. The African Union Film Festival is a project of the South African government and will be co-ordinated by the Film Resource Unit (FRU) in association with the University of Natal's Centre for Creative Arts (CAA) The screenings, sponsored by the SA government, will be free to the public. Leading African filmmakers will attend the festival and panel discussions, seminars and workshops will form part of the festival programme.

* Comedian Chris Tucker has altered his life for good--and that is no joke. The Rush Hour actor recently returned from a trip to Africa where he came face-to-face with death and starvation of hundreds of people. And the suffering he saw first hand has changed the way he lives his life in America. Tucker, who returned from his two-week trek last month, admits, "I am not into the worldly possessions like I once was. It was a wake-up call to see this part of the world and it makes you size up what is important in your own life." The $20 million-a-movie man toured refugee camps as part of a United Nations fact-finding mission. He adds, "There were these women who had the AIDS virus and they were writing memoirs for their children because they know that they will not be around when their children grow up. It really touched me to see that happen in every village I visited."

AFRICAN AMERICAN

* The producer of Monster's Ball has rebutted Angela Bassett's claim that she was offered Halle Berry's role in the film but turned it down because she believed it perpetuated stereotypes of black women. Lee Daniels, who is black, told the online Electronic Urban Report that Bassett's assertions, published in the current edition of Newsweek, were "completely incorrect." Daniels maintained, "I'm the producer of the movie. She wasn't offered anything." The producer was also miffed over Bassett's criticism, saying, "There are movies that I don't like, that are black that I would never go to, but I am publicly very supportive of my people, otherwise there is no structure, there is nothing."

* The executive producer of the American Black Film Festival says that the festival's switch from Acapulco, where it was launched in 1997, to Miami Beach has resulted in attracting top representatives of the major studios. Jeff Friday told Tuesday's Miami Herald that the festival, which is due to launch Wednesday, "We went outside [to Acapulco] to create a hybrid of Cannes and Sundance, to be a platform for black films and an annual treat for the blacks in Hollywood. ... But after the fifth (festival) we realized the missing link: We were very much getting black studios, but we weren't getting the buyers to get films to a theater near you." That has all changed at Miami, he suggested.

* Will Smith’s new album is his best ever, says the confident rapper and actor. The versatile star, who was a hip-hop icon before finding international fame as an actor, believes his upcoming album, Born To Reign, which will be released later this month, beats his previous work because it only features live instruments, not samples. He explains, "I don't want to gas it up, but it's definitely the best album that I've ever done. I was keeping it old-school on all of my previous albums. Hip-hop records have always historically been sample-driven. With this album I just went away from all of the samples. It's live instrumentation, but we processed the instruments to give you that sample sound. It's a strange sound and it's incredible." And Smith is particularly excited about the video to accompany the first single off the album, "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)," which ties in with his new film Men In Black 2. He says, "It's the first intergalactic concert. It takes ! place in a space station in deep outer space. The video's insane, if I can say that humbly. The video is incredible. That's where I think I really hit a home run, with the video." (It’s nice to know that fame hasn’t gone to Will’s head – DR.SOTHA)

* Joel Schumacher has come aboard to develop, with an eye toward directing, Warner Bros. Pictures' remake of "A Star Is Born." The remake of the classic drama is being produced by Jon Peters, and there have been discussions with Will Smith to take on a starring role. "Star," the story of an up-and-coming actress who falls in love with an accomplished actor only to surpass the actor as his star falls, has been successful in several incarnations. The original 1937 version was directed by William A. Wellman and earned Oscar nominations for stars Fredric March and Janet Gaynor, while writers Robert Carson and Wellman won an Oscar for best writing, original story. A 1954 remake directed by George Cukor garnered two more acting Oscar nominations for stars James Mason and Judy Garland. In 1976, producer Peters and director Frank Pierson offered a more rock 'n' roll take on the story with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson starring as musicians as opposed to actors.

* Isaiah Washington, Mos Def and Wood Harris will star in the urban ensemble indie feature "From the Outside Looking In" for writer-director Jerry LaMothe, who will also star in the film. Production is scheduled to begin in August in Brooklyn. "Outside" is described as a coming-of-age story about a young man who narrates the chronicles of his past 20 years growing up with his four best friends (Washington, Mos Def, Harris and LaMothe) in Brooklyn. Additionally, Monica Calhoun plays his love interest. The young man has yet to be cast. James L.P. Jackson of the X Factor Group is producing the project. His company is also financing the feature, which is budgeted in the $5 million range.

* Melanie Griffith has joined the cast of RKO Pictures/Merv Griffin Entertainment's crime thriller "Shade" for first-time writer-director Damian Nieman. Production begins Thursday in Los Angeles. "Shade" is set in the world of poker hustlers working the clubs and martini bars of Los Angeles. The tale unfolds as the hustlers – THANDIE NEWTON, Stuart Townsend and Gabriel Byrne -- encounter "The Dean" (Sylvester Stallone) and pull off a successful sting that results in their pursuit by a vengeful gangster. JAMIE FOXX also stars as a man who wants to become a hustler but ends up getting hustled. Griffith will star as a Stallone's ex-flame who rekindles her romance with him when he arrives in the city.

* Barry Pepper has landed roles in two feature films, the Walt Disney Co.'s "The 25th Hour" and the indie "The Snow Walker," which he is also executive producing. Pepper is shooting both projects simultaneously. "Walker," directed by Charles Martin Smith, is based on a short story by author Farley Mowat that Smith adapted. The project, set in the 1950s in the Northern Territories, is about a pilot (Pepper) who crashes his plane in the North. Struggling to survive in the harsh climate, he gets help from a female Inuit. "25th," directed by SPIKE LEE, depicts the last day of freedom for a young man (Edward Norton) before he begins a seven-year jail term for dealing drugs. Prowling the city until dawn with his two close friends -- played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Pepper -- he is forced to re-examine his life and how he got himself into his predicament, which leads to a shocking, disturbing finale.

DR.SOTHA REVO & OUT!