1 month ago
Studiocanal has teamed pinch Flora Films on The Road Home starring Emmy, Grammy, Tony victor and three-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, Harriet), multi-award winning South African actor, writer, head and shaper Thabo Rametsi (Silverton Siege), and Academy Award Nominee Guy Pearce (The Brutalist).
Oscar victor Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls, Kiss of nan Spider Woman) will helm from an original screenplay by Michael Bronner (The Mauritanian, United 93), from a communicative by Michael Bronner and Zakes Mda.
Exiled from his autochthonal South Africa, trumpeter Hugh Masekela (Rametsi) is pulled betwixt 2 worlds erstwhile nan Anti-Apartheid Movement, led by his mentor fierce anti-apartheid advocator Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Pearce), launches a boycott against Hugh’s friend Paul Simon, complete his township music-inspired medium “Graceland”, accusing Simon of violating nan United Nations’ Cultural Boycott. Splitting from his mentor, Masekela, who sees euphony arsenic a powerful limb successful nan struggle, joins forces pinch chap exile and lifelong collaborator, powerhouse vocalist Miriam ‘Mama Africa’ Makeba (Erivo), to create nan Graceland set – a ace group designed to bring South Africa’s sound to nan world. The pic features nan euphony of Masekela, Makeba, and Simon.
Award winning writer-producer Michael Bronner, whose narration pinch South Africa began successful 2000 while moving connected a Peabody Award-winning documentary for CBS’ 60 Minutes, was first approached to pen nan screenplay by nan Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation.
With an organization knowledge of Masekela’s life and values, nan Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation provided insights to Bronner during nan improvement process. Bronner besides conducted extended investigation for nan script, including in-depth interviews pinch Simon. Additional investigation was contributed by South African writer Zakes Mda, who interviewed Masekela extensively. The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation and David Dison are EPs on The Road Home alongside South African broadcast journalist Siphiwo Ralo.
Veteran euphony shaper Hilton Rosenthal will service arsenic Co-Producer, and will beryllium producing caller recordings from Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba’s astonishing catalogue of songs for nan pic’s soundtrack.
Rosenthal, who was instrumental successful supporting Simon during nan making of the Graceland album, has been astatine nan halfway of book improvement and has secured euphony authorities to some Simon’s activity and that of iconic African artists including nan film’s protagonists, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.
The Road Home will beryllium produced by Oscar nominated shaper Laura Bickford (Traffic, Che Part 1 and Part 2, Arbitrage) for Laura Bickford Productions, Michael Bronner for Smashing Dandelions, Greg Yolen (Kiss of nan Spider Woman, The Good Liar) for 1000 Eyes, and Anant Singh (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Sarafina!), successful relation pinch executive producers Fiona Druckenmiller and Rob Bath.
Serving arsenic EPs are Studiocanal executives, Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and Chief Content Officer of Canal+, EVP of Global Production Ron Halpern and US Chief Creative Officer, Shana Eddy-Grouf, pinch Sudie Smyth starring Physical Production. Sam Shipp serves arsenic a imaginative executive connected nan film.
Studiocanal is financing nan movie pinch Flora Films and Rob Bath. Studiocanal will merchandise successful South Africa, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. U.S.-based Palisades Park Pictures, backed by Ashland Hill Media Finance, and helmed by CEO Tamara Birkemoe, will motorboat world income for nan movie astatine nan upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
Bill Condon is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, and Alexander, Lawrence, Frumes & Labowitz. Bronner is repped astatine Echo Lake, Anonymous Content, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark. Thabo Rametsi is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Myman Greenspan. Cynthia Erivo is represented by UTA, Entertainment 360, The Lede Company and Peikoff Mahan. Guy Pearce is represented by CAA, Independent Talent Group and Shanahan Management.
