Local photographer and videographer, Jonathan Phyllis, from Humansdorp, plans to start production on his fascinating short story, based on true events, titled Me and the Alien, which he will showcase to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
If approved, the film will be funded by the department.
As previously reported by the Kouga Express, Phyllis, who has been a photographer for over 20 years and a videographer since 2018, showcases his photography work on his Facebook page, Humansdorp my plek, and his short films on Kwai Kat TV, an online television channel, which he created on social media to uplift his community, which was plagued by gangsterism and gang-related killings.
In 2019, to develop his skills as a writer, Phyllis was fortunate enough to join a group of talented filmmakers to attend a film workshop in Tsitsikamma, which was presented by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of nationwide lockdown in 2020, the workshop was brought to a halt.
Last month, at least two years after the first workshop, Phyllis was again invited by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to attend a film and language workshop in Makhanda (Grahamstown).
“At the workshop, we learnt about scriptwriting, pitch presentation, copyright and many other topics within the film industry,” said Phyllis.
He said it was a great honour for him to re-present Humansdorp and the Kouga region at the workshop.
“The workshop showed me that there are many other people who are ambitious and who are interested in telling their story to the world, within the fiction and non-fiction categories, which was inspirational,” said Phyllis.
During the four-day workshop, the atten-dees were required to write a short story, which they then had to present to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
“When it was my turn to share my short story, I was very nervous but I was able to build up the courage to present my non-fiction short story, Me and the Alien,” said Phyllis.
His short story was chosen to proceed to the next stage, in which Phyllis must showcase a film, based on his short story, to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and, if chosen, it will be funded by the department.
Phyllis said, while visiting Makhanda in 2018, he had an encounter with what he believes was an alien, which viewers can learn all about in his film.
“The film will showcase conversations between a human being and an alien from out of space,” said Phyllis.
He said he hopes his film will be chosen which will give him the opportunity to show people around the world that there is real talent in the Eastern Cape.
The screenplay of Phyllis’s Me and the Alien has been written by Pieter Plaatjies and will be directed by Marshall Geswint.
The short story, which will be filmed in Humansdorp and Makhanda, will feature Phyllis as himself and his co-star, Ciska Novem, as the alien.
“This is my first English-language produced short story and production of the film will start soon,” said Phyllis.
