Critically acclaimed locally produced film, Old Righteous Blues, has been selected to represent South Africa at the highly contested 97th Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category taking place on 3 March 2025 in Hollywood. This is critical acclaim to the positive reception of authentic South African stories and recognition of local talent by the international community.
Directed by award winning film maker Muneera Sallies, the film tells a story about a young man’s journey to overcome personal limitations and past traumas to unite a divided fractured community. The film follows the protagonist as he attempts to restore the once-glorious Old Righteous Blues Christmas Choir Band (Kerskoor) to its former stature. However, he is confronted with the long-standing consequences of a bitter feud started by his father two decades earlier, which split the choir in two and devastated the community.
According to Sallies “It is an intense glimpse into the life of a young man, a family, and a community. More than that it is an intense glimpse into a journey and into the heart of brotherhood, tapping into immense stores of pain, love, dreams, and courage”.
At it’s core it is a story of hope, forgiveness and unity which are very much the heart of what South Africans pride themselves in and that resonates with audiences universally.
The movie has already won 11 awards at the Silwerskermfees, Romford Film Festival 2024, and Panther City Film Festival. These include:
- Best Supporting Actor Silwerskermfees 2023 for Joshwin Dyson
- Best Director Romford Film Festival 2024 for Muneera Sallies
- Best Actor Romford Film Festival 2024 for Ayden Croy,
- Best Supporting Actor Panther City Film Festival 2024 for Stefan Erasmus.
South Africa has submitted films for the Oscar Award for Best International Feature Film since 1989. Following the submission to the Oscars, a committee will review all the submissions and make a decision on the final five nominees for the award. Some of the South African submissions which led to nominations include Yesterday (2004) as well as Tsotsi (2005) which went on to win the award.
The Top 11 nominations will be announced on 17 December 2024, and the final Top 5 for the Academy Awards Best International Feature Film category will be announced on 17 January 2025.
Click here to watch the trailer.
