Share

Mandela film cost over R300m to make

Johannesburg - The film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" cost just over R350 million to make, film-maker Anant Singh said on Saturday.

"The film's budget was 35 million US dollars. Putting the finance together and keeping [it] South African was challenging," Singh told reporters at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, north of Johannesburg.

"[The film] is the fruition of a journey of over 25 years. A journey that has been a very rocky road."

Singh said the production of the film took just over two years to complete.

When production ended last year Singh went to Mandela's home in Qunu, Eastern Cape to show him snippets of the film and pictures from some of the scenes.

He said Mandela found it amusing.

Singh said the anti-apartheid icon asked him "Is this me?" when looking at a picture from a scene where Elba was wearing one the famous Madiba shirts and was sporting grey hair and an aged face.

Zindzi Mandela told reporters she found the film therapeutic and that she wished she had watched it alone.

Well executed

"It was very emotional to watch it... His [Singh] ability to summarise so many moments [in our lives] was incredible.

"It is extremely well executed and sincere," Zindzi said.

She said she watched the film with Singh, her mother Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and her husband Molapo Motlhajwa.

African National Congress stalwart and one of the trustees of the Mandela Trust Tokyo Sexwale told reporters that Mandela was no longer ill.

"Madiba says of his health, 'I am not ill, I'm just old," Sexwale said.

Mandela spent almost three months in a Pretoria hospital for a recurring lung infection.

He was discharged on 1 September and was receiving medical treatment at his home in Houghton.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE