A new South African story is heading to the big screen, and we’ve now got our first look at The Road Home, the upcoming film about legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela.
CANAL+, STUDIOCANAL, Flora Films and South African co-producer Blue Ice have unveiled the first image from the film, which is currently shooting on location in South Africa. The image features South African actor Thabo Rametsi as Masekela, with Rametsi also serving as an executive producer on the film.
The film has a star-studded cast. Rametsi, best known for Silverton Siege, stars alongside three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo as Miriam “Mama Africa” Makeba, Oscar nominee Guy Pearce as anti-apartheid activist Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, and South African-born actor and musician Johnny Flynn as Paul Simon.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Bill Condon, whose credits include Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters and Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Road Home is written by Michael Bronner from a story by Bronner and acclaimed South African author Zakes Mda.
The film will explore a fascinating and complicated chapter in Masekela’s life. Exiled from South Africa during apartheid, Masekela found himself caught between his friendship with Paul Simon and his commitment to the anti-apartheid struggle.
The conflict centred around Simon’s Graceland album, which drew heavily from South African township music. While the album introduced millions of listeners around the world to South African sounds, Simon was accused of violating the United Nations’ cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa.
Masekela ultimately split from his mentor Huddleston and joined forces with Miriam Makeba. Together, they formed the Graceland band, using music to bring the voice of South Africa to audiences around the world.
That gives The Road Home the potential to be much more than a traditional musical biopic. It is a story about music, politics, friendship, exile and the complicated choices people make when art and activism collide.
The film will feature the music of Masekela, Makeba and Simon, with veteran music producer Hilton Rosenthal involved in the production. Rosenthal was instrumental in supporting Simon during the making of Graceland and has helped secure the rights to music from Simon, Masekela and Makeba for the film.
For Rametsi, who is playing one of South Africa’s greatest musical icons, the responsibility is clearly not lost on him.
“When you tell the story of Giants you must shout it from the highest mountain,” Rametsi says. “These are our giants and this film is the highest mountain we could find.”
The Road Home is being produced by Laura Bickford, Michael Bronner, Greg Yolen and Anant Singh, alongside Blue Ice producers Tebogo Maila and Adam Friedlander.
With a South African story at its heart, an impressive international cast and Bill Condon behind the camera, The Road Home is already looking like one to keep an eye on. And seeing Thabo Rametsi step into the shoes of Hugh Masekela is certainly one of the things I’m most curious to see.
The film is currently in production in South Africa, with STUDIOCANAL set to distribute it in South Africa, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand.
