TAG: Director Willem Oelofsen, Sophia Loren and Pieter-Dirk Uys in Geneva. TAG: Director Willem Oelofsen, Sophia Loren and Pieter-Dirk Uys in Geneva.
Terri Dunbar-Curran
THERE’S a pause as Pieter-Dirk Uys prepares to step out onto stage. He stands alone, silhouetted in the wings. Then, with an almost imperceptible straightening of his shoulders, he ventures into the spotlight. Willem Oelofsen’s documentary Nobody’s Died Laughing, which opens at cinemas today, is not only a striking portrait of one of South Africa’s most important satirists, it’s a poignant illustration of our country as a whole.
The film, written and directed by Oelofsen, does far more than simply follow Uys around and tell his story. It unpacks the harrowing past which birthed creatives like him, and the turbulent present which makes them just as important as ever.
When Uys’s beloved character Evita Bezuidenhout turned 70 back in 2005 there was a fundraiser for the Darling Trust and Oelofsen remembers thinking “This is a fascinating story, I want to do something with it”. Fast forward a decade to when Uys celebrated his own 70th. ‘I thought, that would be a nice hook to hang it on. He’s turning 70 and he’s still as busy as ever,” says Oelofsen. “So we put our lipsticks together and came up with a plan.”
Two years in the making, the film will be screened at 11 cinemas across the country, almost unheard of for a documentary. “The response so far has been incredible,” says Oelofsen, adding that some young audience members at the Durban International Film Festival thanked him for introducing them to Uys. “When you look at all of that, you realise, of course you make a film about this man’s life – how could you not?”
Oelofsen specifically made the film in a style and vernacular that a younger audience would appreciate. It’s fast-paced and the score includes dubstep, classical and boere musiek. “We edited it at a pace that should leave you as tired at the end of the movie as Pieter-Dirk must be at the end of each day,” says Oelofsen. “It was rough, but completely worth it. It was an extraordinary experience spending all that time with him. Nothing was too much for him, ever.”
The director says that he “schlepped” the actor all around Europe and discovered that it does not matter where you go, people will always want a piece of Uys.
The film includes interviews with Desmond Tutu, Charlize Theron, Lizz Meiring, Janet Suzman, Thoko Ntshinga, Zolani Mahola, Jonathan Shapiro, Sophia Loren and many others. Oelofsen was astounded by the generosity of everyone involved. “Everyone wanted to help us make this film, it was just extraordinary.”
One of the highlights was interviewing actress Sophia Loren in Geneva. “It was an out of body experience. She was a true, old-school Hollywood star,” says Oelofsen, fondly recalling the sight of Uys and Loren walking down a passage holding hands like “an old married couple”.
When it came to meeting with Theron, they arrived in Los Angeles with a very rough time-frame. They were supposed to have 20 minutes with the actress and ended up recording 49 minutes of material. “She was really cool, and funny. It was incredible. And we laughed and laughed,” he says.
Nobody’s Died Laughing carries a 7-9 PG rating for language. “It’s only because of her and Pieter-Dirk,” laughs Oelofsen. “It would have been funny if the censorship board had one last time banned something of Pieter-Dirk’s.”
A large portion of the film deals with censorship and the lengths the then government went to to suppress freedom of speech. Uys and the other interviewees speak about the impact it had on them as artists and why it was so important for them to keep fighting, to make sure their voices were still heard.
“There’s the whole idea of Pieter-Dirk being a young rebel, whether it now seems so or not,” says Oelofsen, adding that it seemed fitting to get Jack Parow to write a song for the film. That track, A Rebel Till He’s Dead, perfectly encapsulates Uys’ life and impact. “He did everything himself and came up with such a rich lyrical base. We were so impressed. I think it’s a kick-ass track,” says Oelofsen.
He would love for schools to arrange for students to see the film. “The subject matter is important for them to see. It puts the past into perspective – his anti-apartheid work and his fight against censorship. He truly believes in fighting for what’s right. And he’s still doing it.”
Another big part of Uys’ work in recent years which the film homes in on has been his Aids education for young people across the country. “Pieter-Dirk stands on stage and says things – but he also goes out and actually does things too,” says the director. “And he doesn’t get paid to do it – he pays for it all himself.”
That ethos has not only helped change the lives and futures of young people all over the world, but it has also made a huge impact on others who have a platform to make a difference.
Theron says she was deeply moved by Uys’ work in the field of Aids prevention and it helped to inspire her own efforts.
Oelofsen teamed up with cinematographer Nic van der Westhuizen, executive producer Herman Binge, co-director and editor Geoffrey Butler to bring the film to fruition.
Butler accompanied the team on all of the shots, so when it came time to edit, he knew exactly how each segment related to the rest. Oelofsen says that besides finding the funding, one of the biggest challenges was producing it on his own. “In terms of logistics I did everything on my own, and directed. I had to learn so much. It’s been extraordinary and I can’t believe we’re sitting with an actual film.”
As South Africa files into cinemas to get a glimpse of one of its greats, and Uys retreats from the cameras for a while, Oelofsen is already turning his directorial eye to his next project.
“I want to tell positive stories, about good things. About those who bother to stay alive and make a difference.”