For local filmmaker Robert Benjamin of Gordon’s Bay, the journey to bringing his latest feature film to the silver screen was not just a professional endeavour but literally a test of faith.

Now, after decades of sacrifice, production shutdowns and a series of miraculous interventions, his award-winning feature film, Angels: They are amongst us, is officially set for a nationwide cinema release across South Africa and Namibia on Friday 24 July.

It is an inspirational drama blending the spiritual and natural worlds. The story follows Paul Taylor, a broken man who takes a teaching post at a reform school, only to be confronted by the supernatural reality of ministering angels. Navigating loss, romance and a search for purpose, he must ultimately answer the ultimate question: Are God and His angels real?

The film boasts an elite ensemble of acclaimed South African talent. Leading the cast is Keenan Arrison, who delivers a powerful, transformative performance as Paul Taylor. He is joined by screen legends Sello Maake Ka-Ncube and Brümilda van Rensburg, alongside exceptional performances by Ofentse Rakololo, Schelaine Bennett, Elsje Slabbert, Byron McNeil, and Jack Devnarain.

Born in Greyton in 1970 and raised in Grabouw, Benjamin’s creative roots run deep in the Western Cape.

After attending Groenberg Secondary School he pursued Drama and Languages at the University of Cape Town. It was there, in his second year, that he wrote, directed and produced his first stage play to rave reviews at the UCT Little Theatre.

Benjamin officially entered the film industry in 1993, hitting early career milestones by directing Angel Valley (1997) and Lost Souls (1999), both of which were acquired and broadcast by M-Net. He spent the next two decades mastering the filmmaking craft, working as a first-assistant director from 2000 to 2010, before transitioning into a producer role from 2011 to 2022.

At the heart of Angels: They are amongst us lies a profound question, “What if the help you prayed for was already beside you?”

Angelic encounters

For Benjamin this premise is intensely personal, rooted in two distinct angelic encounters he experienced in Strand in 2002 – the same year he was married. A year later a profound spiritual encounter at 02:00 completely altered his trajectory. “God asked if I was prepared to lose everything for His Name’s sake.”

Growing up poor and working hard to build a successful property portfolio, he initially found the request overwhelming, but with the unwavering backing of his wife he said “yes”.

By 2004 Benjamin was called to pivot his career entirely to glorifying God, taking a screenplay originally entitled Beyond Anger and transforming it into the film to be released this July. It marked the beginning of a challenging chapter where the couple ultimately let go of everything they owned.

The road to completion was anything but smooth. Last year. Benjamin was sitting in the Mugg & Bean coffee shop in Strand with a potential marketing investor – a meeting that ultimately fell through – when their conversation was overheard.

A prison chaplain from Pennsylvania visiting his 88-year-old South African mother was so moved by the story that he stepped forward saying he would fund the movie’s international film-festival submission fees. From there the film travelled the globe on its own, generating massive international acclaim without any cast or crew present to promote it.

Before its South African cinema release Angels: They are amongst us has already garnered significant international critical acclaim. Its festival run includes taking home Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor awards at the Halo International Film Festival in St Petersburg, Russia and it was named Best Spiritual/Mystical Film at the Remember The Future Film Festival in Cannes, France.

With additional nominations for Best Inspirational Film in the US and Best Cinematography in the UK, the flick has firmly established its universal appeal.

But such success did not come without its share of difficulties. The production faced severe financial hardships; the team was lured by the KZN Film Commission to shoot in Durban and the KZN Midlands with a contract promising seven figures in incentives. The funds were never paid, resulting in a total shutdown.

Fighting spirit

Consequently, the project took five long years to complete instead of the projected 18 months. Yet lack of capital led to moments of pure serendipity.

While filming the final scene in a valley in the Midlands, with zero budget for special effects, the crew arrived at 05:00 to find the location blanketed in a perfect, thick mist.

To top it all two random horses had wandered onto the set and appeared in the shot. The moment the final take was captured the mist had instantly lifted. “That was God telling me ‘I have your back. I will provide when no-one else can,’” Benjamin said.

Now based in Gordon’s Bay, his message to aspiring creatives in the Helderberg is to never give up on their dreams and fiercely protect their intellectual property.

“Holding onto my rights is a major reason it took me 26 years to make my third movie; I simply wasn’t prepared to give it away.”

Benjamin emphasised the importance of building a small, deeply trusted network of true friends to survive hardships.

Looking ahead to 2027, Studio RSA Films is preparing to shoot a period-piece action-espionage film spanning 1947 to 1993. Also, a television series spin-off of Angels: They are amongst us is currently in active development.

The future of this homegrown international success story rests entirely in the hands on locals. Major theatre chains such as Ster-Kinekor and NuMetro decide the length of a film’s local cinema run based strictly on its opening-weekend performance.

Benjamin appealed to the community to pack cinemas from Friday through Sunday on the opening weekend of its July release.

“I would be so deeply grateful to communities across our two countries if everyone came out to support a local film that has already won so many accolades around the world.”