Daryn’s Gym, the mockumentary by writer-director Brett Michael Innes, has been selected to be part of the 51st Edition of IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam), where it will have its international premiere as part of the Big Screen Competition section of the program.
The Big Screen Competition is the result of a long-lived collaboration between IFFR and VPRO, bridging the gap between popular, classic and art house cinema by showcasing sixteen feature films from across the globe to an audience jury.
The light hearted comedy unfolds in a family gym in Randburg, the film is a David and Goliath narrative that sees the lovable Daryn JNR (Clifford Joshua Young) pitted against Funi (Hlubi Mboya), the ruthless owner of a multi-national fitness centre.
Pictured: Dayrn JNR played by Clifford Joshua Young.
Shot in Johannesburg during lockdown, the film featured cinematography by Dino Benedetti (Hotel), production design by Chantel Carter (Blood Psalms, An Act of Defiance), edit by C.A. van Aswegen (Vir die Voëls, Vir Altyd) and score by Loki Rothman (Vergeet My Nie, Liewe Kersfeesvader).
Innes teamed up with Nostalgia Productions and TMPC to deliver the quirky, slap stick comedy which is out of the norm from he’s tear jerking dramas like the SAFTA-winning Sink (2017) and Fiela se Kind (2019). His latest offering looks set to show a different side to the filmmaker.
“I loved the challenge of a new genre,” said Brett when asked about his new offering. “And while I felt out of my depth at times, I chose to rely on my experience in drama so that we would always pursue truth over a punchline. And while I will always be drawn to complex narratives on the heavier side of life, a large part of this pivot to comedy came from recognizing that lockdown has been tough on all of us and the last thing anyone wants to watch right now is a movie about pain. Much like ‘Ted Lasso’, I hope that the film leaves viewers feeling a little lighter when the credits start to roll.”
Produced with Paulo Areal, the man behind another hard-hitting SAFTA-darling Ellen Pakkies, the two managed to assemble some of South Africa’s top dramatic actors as well as a few faces you haven’t seen before. One of them is Clifford Joshua Young, who makes his film debut as the lovable Daryn JNR.
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The South African film will premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam which commences today, Wednesday 26 January and will conclude Sunday, 6 February. In pre-pandemic times, filmmakers would have travelled to Rotterdam to present the film to audiences of the festival, but the recent lockdown in the Netherlands has forced the festival to pivot from a physical event to a virtual one.
“We’re naturally very disappointed that we won’t be able to experience this in person,” said producer Paulo Areal. “I was fortunate enough to attend the festival in 2018 when my film Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story played in the programme and have always been blown away by the love and support extended to filmmakers by the festival.”
