Father Geek back, this time with Dr. SOTHA and crew to present the Africa-AICN column for this week... glad to see the talented Head Nurse Hollis has got her head on straight (?) again...

DR.SOTHA back for another Africa-AICN, in the vortex of a storm aka The World Summit in Johannesburg. Nurse Hollis and assassin Miss Paige are now once again under my careful tutelage after they served their punishment dutifully (I locked them up in the ‘hole’ for 14 days with only water and bread for sustenance. If you speak to them now, they’ll tell you they deserved it.

If you are in town for the World Summit and would like to get connected with Hollis and Paige then email me at africaaicn@hotmail.com and I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.

SOUTH AFRICA

* Michael Powers, the Guinness action man who has a strong following with television audiences throughout Africa, is in South Africa for the filming of a full length movie, The African Story geared to African audiences. TVAfrica have also secured Michael Powers as a co-host on a new series of Guinness TV three-hour specials which started on 11 August. Other popular presenters in the series are Hakeem Kae Kazim, Mark Stussi, Isalbelle Bekke and SonjaSaul. The series which is a blend of documentaries and movies is broadcast on Sundays in English speaking countries and on Fridays in Francophone Africa.

* Veteran filmmaker Dirk de Villiers is about to see his film project about the life and times of the famous South African heart surgeon, Chris Barnard, become a reality. He first discussed the project with Barnard in the 1960s and obtained his blessing. The film has been temporarily titled Heart and Soul and scriptwriter Andrew Clarke has written the screenplay from the view point of Barnard's gardener, Hamilton Naki who is said to have had a great influence on the heart surgeon.

* Videovision Entertainment has made the film, Rabbit Proof Fence available for the closing night of the Jozi Summit Film Festival on September 4 at Nu Metro Village Walk. Guest of honour will be Doris Pilkington, the writer of the book Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence. The Jozi Summit Film Festival is being run as part of the cultural segment of the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Rabbit Proof Fence will also be screened as the Opening Night Film of the Durban International Film Festival on Monday, September 2. Rabbit Proof Fence stars Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets), David Gulpil (Crocodile Dundee), Jason Clarke (Twilight), Ningali Lawford, Deborah Mailman, Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury and Laura Monaghan. The film is directed by Phillip Noyce (Clear And Present Danger, The Bone Collector) and the screenplay is by Christrine Olsen. Rabbit Proof Fence is the story of three aboriginal girls who a! re forcibly taken from their families in 1931 to be trained as domestic servants as part of an official Australian Government policy. The girls make a daring escape and embark on an epic 1 500 mile journey to get back home - following the rabbit proof fence that bisects the Australian continent as their only guide while having the authorities in hot pursuit. Doris Pilkington, is the daughter of Molly, one of the girls that was taken away from their families.

* Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has cancelled an appearance at the World Development Summit - despite calling on American President George W. Bush to attend. The Beach star, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Stewart and Bob Geldof were all expected in Johannesburg, South Africa for the summit, which started earlier this week. Earth loving Leo was to support a project to save great apes, but pulled out at the last minute because of "contractual obligations" in his native America. At a rally earlier this month, DiCaprio pleaded with Bush to "please go prepared to join the vast majority of nations in constructing a concrete plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." Organizers of the summit are disappointed at the turnout. They hoped the presence of international celebrities could raise the media profile of the event.

* The big screen's most toothy and "shagadelic" superspy makes a glittering return to South African cinemas in Austin Powers in Goldmember. This, the third film in this spy send-up series has knocked Men In Black 2 from its number one spot at the local box office, raking in R2,722,307 (about the price of one bull testicle in North America – DR.SOTHA) in its first week. Men In Black is at number two, followed by High Crimes, Big Fat Liar and Dragonfly.

* The 4th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival and Jameson are delighted to announce the 2002 Jameson Audience Award winners:
Best Documentary: War Photographer [Director: Christian Frei, Switzerland 2001 96min 35mm] Best South African Documentary: Amandla! A Revolution In Four Part Harmony [Dir: Lee Hirsch, South Africa / USA 2001 108min Video] The Jameson Audience Awards were presented at the closing ceremony of the Festival at Cinema Nouveau, Rosebank Johannesburg. Mirjam Asmal, representative of the Swiss Arts Council - Pro Helvetia accepted the award for Best Documentary on behalf of Oscar nominated director Christian Frei. Desiree Markgraff, South African producer of Amandla! A Revolution In Four Part Harmony accept the award for Best South African Documentary on behalf of the film's director Lee Hirsch. The Close Encounters Documentary Laboratory recently held in Cape Town has announced that Simunye SABC 1 have commission! ed four one-hour documentaries from the Laboratory. These are: Khalo Matabane / Story Of A Beautiful Country; Catherine Muller / Spandex In Alex; Bearthur Baker / Weddings & Babies,Transactions & Sex; Mandilake Mjekula / The Ritual

* Together We Can, is a true-life and hard-hitting film about the devastating impact of HIV/Aids in South Africa will debut in South Africa at the Nu Metro cinema complex, Village Walk on Thursday, 29 August. Directed and produced by South African film duo, Gerald and Jacqui Fox, of Synergy Films, the documentary scooped the top prize at the prestigious Prix Italia Film Festival. It was commissioned by the United Nations for its emergency session on Aids last year and was screened at the UN General Assembly gathering on Aids in New York. It was also repeatedly screened at the UN headquarters in New York, on World Aids Day, last year. Despite its international acclaim, the film is relatively unknown in South Africa. The film shows how South Africans are using theatre and music to spread the message that Aids kills and that people with Aids should not be ostrasized. Prominent UN officials and dignitaries have lent their support to the programme and many wi! ll be attending the launch. The film also forms part of the Jozi Summit Film Festival and will be screened in Nasrec on August 30 at 4pm. A panel discussion will be held after the viewing. The directors of the film have issued an open invitation to interested industry members and the public to attend both the Nasrec and Sandton screenings. Enquiries and RSVP's can be directed to Tim Lyons on 082-339-9600 or email on synergyfilms@global.co.za

NORTH AFRICA

No Rigobert this week, but he will be back for next week’s column.

PS IF YOU WORK IN THE NORTH AFRICAN FILM INDUSTRY PLEASE SEND US YOUR NEWS AS I AM STILL LOOKING FOR A CONTACT IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD. PEACE OUT. – DR.SOTHA

* Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard will star in Morgan Creek Prods.' prequel to "The Exorcist" franchise, titled "Exorcist: The Beginning," replacing Liam Neeson, who dropped out of the project because of scheduling conflicts. Paul Schrader is directing the prequel, which begins shooting in November in Morocco before moving to England. Gabriel Mann and Billy Crawford continue to be attached to the project, which traces the story of Father Merrin (Skarsgard) and his first encounter with the devil while doing missionary work in post-World War II Africa. While there, Merrin suffers from the horrors of war and loses his faith. When he meets the devil, he has to fight to save his beliefs.

AFRICAN AMERICAN

* After scoring success with such films as "The Rookie" and "Remember the Titans," the Walt Disney Co. is going forward on another sports-themed project -- the comedy "De-Fense," written by Ice Cube, who will produce through his Cube Vision along with Disney-based Gunn Films. No director is on board, but the project -- on the fast track -- marks the first time Ice Cube has teamed with Disney on a feature film. Rewritten by Tiger Williams ("Menace II Society"), the project is described as "The Bad News Bears" set in the world of football. It's about a suspended NFL player sentenced by the league to return to his hometown of Los Angeles to coach a high school football team. While dealing with the teens and the sport, he finds the love of the game within himself.

* Rapper Ludacris has joined the cast of Universal Pictures' "The Fast and the Furious 2" for director John Singleton and Original Film. "Furious" stars Paul Walker and Tyrese as undercover agents who team up with a female undercover agent (Eva Mendes) to bring down a formidable drug trafficker named Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), who has eluded authorities. Ludacris will play Taj, a friend of Walker's character. Production begins in the fall in Miami, with James Remar and Devon Aoki also starring. Ludacris, signed to Def Jam Records, is known for such songs as "Rollout (My Business)," "Area Codes" and "What's Your Fantasy?" He has also guested on songs by such artists as Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott ("One Minute Man") and Jermaine Dupri ("Welcome to Atlanta"). E! arlier this year, Ludacris was nominated for two Grammy Awards, including best rap sung collaboration and best rap album. He began his career as a radio DJ in Atlanta. As an actor, he had a small part as a customer in Lions Gate Films' "The Wash" and played himself in an episode of the Showtime series "Soul Food."

* This year's bfm International Film Festival will run in London from 6 to 15 September. The festival is a 10-day celebration of black world cinema drawing together established international filmmakers, popular film stars, writers, directors, industry executives, emerging artists and new audiences from the UK and around the world. In addition to the film screenings there will also be panel discussions and seminars with industry experts. This year will also see the inaugural bfm Film and Television Awards which will celebrate the achievement in black world cinema and television. It will take place in the Great Room of Le Meridien, Grosvenor House, Park Lane, on 9 September. Hosted by Brenda Emmanus, the bfm Awards ceremony will be attended by the cream of black British film and TV ta! lent, as well as black stars from across the globe.

* Eddie Murphy’s The Adventures of Pluto Nash , which received some of the worst reviews of the year when it opened in the U.S. this month, is now being drubbed even more mercilessly in Britain, where it opens today (Friday). "It's not so much bad as a kind of non-film, full of non-jokes, non-characters, inaction scenes and anti-plot," the London Telegraph comments. Says the Star: "If you go to see this, buy a big drink. You now have two options: Drink it generously, and use toilet breaks as an excuse to miss portions [of the movie], or alternatively, throw your drink at the screen in disgust."

* Former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson and actress-director Penny Marshall (A League of Their Own) are teaming up with filmmakers Kip and Kern Konwiser (Miss Evers' Boys) to make a documentary about the history of basketball for Showtime, the New York Daily News reported today (Tuesday). The newspaper said that the film, titled Dynasty, will focus on how basketball has become part of pop culture. "We'll be looking at the key events that made the game go from being a cottage business to one that exploded on an international level," Kern Konwiser told the Daily News.

* Conspicuous by its absence from the MTV Video Music Awards was a new commercial for Pepsi by rapper Ludacris (who also had been nominated for best rap video). The spot, which was to have debuted on the awards show, was pulled at the last moment after Pepsi abruptly canned Ludacris as a spokesman on Wednesday, citing complaints it had received following a telecast by Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly, who called on viewers to boycott Pepsi because of the rapper's "antisocial lyrics." The decision to drop Ludacris angered many blacks. "The issue is bigger than Ludacris," Atlanta disc jockey Frank Ski told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "It's about the fact that we have a white conservative like Bill O'Reilly regulating policy for the black community."

Soft drink giant Pepsi have dropped their latest advertising campaign featuring hip-hop star Ludacris after their attempt at getting some 'street cred' badly backfired. Pepsico Inc. signed the "Area Codes" rapper in an attempt to appeal to minorities - but the strategy has back fired due to the rapper's rudeness. However, yesterday the 30-second promos, featuring Ludacris performing and drinking the cola, were pulled because of complaints about Ludacris' sexually explicit, profanity-laden lyrics. A statement from PepsiCo Inc explains, "We have a responsibility to listen to our consumers and customers and we've heard from a number of people that were uncomfortable with our association with this artist. We've decided to discontinue our ad campaign with this artist and we're sorry that we've offended anyone." A spokeswoman for the star's record label Def Jam, said she was "shocked" to hear about PepsiCo's decision. Only a day before PepsiCo's move, Fox Ne! ws presenter Bill O'Reilly labeled PepsiCo as "immoral" for choosing such a controversial celebrity to front the campaign. O'Reilly said, "I'm calling for all responsible Americans to fight back and punish Pepsi for using a man who degrades women, who encourages substance abuse, and does all the things that hurt particularly the poor in our society."

DR.SOTHA REVO & OUT