Cape Town - South African film Ayanda, which premiered in Los Angeles in June, at the Los Angeles Film Festival, has been picked up for distribution in the US by American director and film distributor Ava DuVernay.
ARRAY Distribution headed by DuVernay announced today they are to release Ayanda in the United States this fall.
"Ava DuVernay has long been a promoter and distributor of black independent films and women filmmakers," says actress and producer Terry Pheto, who co-produced Ayanda. "DuVernay herself recognises this and is proving to be a force to help bring about needed change. She is not only a savvy film marketer and acclaimed director, but also a black woman entrepreneur who is deeply committed to increasing the representation of black people on the big screen."
Ayanda, the latest film by award-winning director Sara Blecher, is a tale of love, friendship and growth in contemporary South Africa. It opens nationwide in local cinemas on 2 October, and is set for release in the US shortly after, in mid-November.
The film stars Fulu Mugovhani, Nigerian actor OC Ukeje – winner of the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award for Best Actor, Jafta Mamabolo, Nthati Moshesh, Kenneth Nkosi, Sihle Xaba and Vanessa Cooke.
Director Blecher says the film could not have found a more well-matched distributor in the US. "Not only is Ayanda a story about women, made by women, but it also highlights female entrepreneurship and ingenuity, both talents which can mean the difference between success and hardship in a city like Johannesburg. To have the film bought for distribution by an African American woman who has made her mark in Hollywood was an incredibly proud moment for all of us involved in the making of Ayanda."
Watch the trailer here: