Cape Town – A Hollywood movie featuring top-grossing star Kristen Stewart playing a prostitute will no longer be filmed in Cape Town after a funding altercation between film makers and the South African government, City Press reported.
The Big Shoe was supposed to have been filmed around the Mother City in October with Stewart as the female lead called Delphi, a foot model and sex worker who helps to inspire a creatively stifled shoe designer.
London-based film finance company Bankside Films said The Big Shoe “is a daring and comedic romance about an unusual, creatively stifled shoe designer, Nate, and his new-found muse, Delphi, who helps inspire him to resume his brilliant designs”.
There was much hype after foreign and local newspapers reported on Stewart’s latest movie project in South Africa. US director Steven Shainberg even visited Cape Town to cast local actors and to scout for film locations.
The film was due to be released next year. But not any more. The plug has been pulled and local film makers are now blaming the department of arts and culture.
An official letter from former arts and culture minister Paul Mashatile to the film’s producers, dated 3 March 2014, shows that R32m had been approved to finance The Big Shoe as part of a broader partnership called the SA Film Fund.
“This venture is a great event in the history of South Africa’s film sector. We are very proud to be launching this project with Hollywood and to work hand in hand,” wrote Mashatile. “I will be sending a high-powered delegation to Los Angeles in the coming weeks to meet with you.”
But two months later, Mashatile was replaced by Nathi Mthethwa as minister of arts and culture. Since then, the film makers have only received R4m and they claim their queries into the matter remain unanswered…
South Africa Today – South Africa News
