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ANANT SINGH

nant Singh is currently chief executive of friendships. Success cannot be achieved alone. received prestigious award recognitions, including
officer and chairman of the Videovision The business of film is a collaborative endeavour, Academy Award and BAFTA nominations and a
Entertainment Group; chairs Cape Town which sees hundreds, sometimes thousands of Golden Globe Award win.
AFilm Studios, a state-of-the-art film people coming together, totally committed to
A selection of his feature films includes: Sarafina!
studio facility in Cape Town; co-chairs the Cape producing a film.”
with Whoopi Goldberg, Leleti Khumalo and
Town Metropolitan radio station, Smile 90.4FM and
However, he said that establishing a business in the Miriam Makeba; The Road to Mecca, with Kathy
serves on the board of the Victor Daitz Foundation,
film and entertainment sector in apartheid South Bates; Father Hood, with Patrick Swayze and Halle
a charitable trust which contributes R20 million per
Africa was a huge challenge. He encountered Berry; Captives, with Julia Ormond and Tim Roth;
annum to worthy causes in KwaZulu Natal.
racism at every level, particularly because it was an Stephen King’s The Mangler, Cry, the Beloved
Anant, South Africa’s pre-eminent film producer, industry that was reserved for whites only. “Banks Country with James Earl Jones and Richard
was born and raised in apartheid South Africa in would not provide me with credit; cinemas would Harris; and Red Dust, directed by Tom Hooper
Durban. He began his film career at age 18 when not play my films and services companies would and starring Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor,
he left his studies at the University of Durban- not allow me to open an account, necessitating a drama focussing on South Africa’s Truth and
Westville to purchase a 16 mm movie rental store. cash payments. Despite all these challenges, I was Reconciliation Commission.

From there, he moved into video distribution, able to enter a closed industry and make inroads
forming Videovision Entertainment and then and build a sustainable business.” SOCIAL CON
progressed into film production in 1984 with Place
TREMENDOUS ABILITY Anant has also produced notable documentaries,
of Weeping, the first anti-apartheid film to be made
including Countdown to Freedom, about the first
entirely in South Africa. Of note Anant is the producer of Yesterday (from
democratic election in South Africa, Prisoners of
director, Darrell James Roodt), which received
DEDICATION AND TENACITY Hope, about a reunion on Robben Island of 1250 of
South Africa’s first Academy Award Nomination
its former political prisoners led by Nelson Mandela,
His success, says Anant, may be attributed to in the Best Foreign Language Picture category
Hero For All which documents Nelson Mandela’s
hard work, dedication and tenacity. He added, “My in 2005, the Peabody Award and an Emmy
farewell visit to the United States as he stepped
passion was the film industry. I set about learning Nomination in 2006 in the “Outstanding Made for
down from the South African Presidency.
everything that I could about it. I was motivated Television Movie” category.
to pursue my dream and when I was 22, I made Significantly Anant said that he is a firm
Nelson Mandela called him “a producer I respect
my first overseas trip to a film market where I set believer of the concept of business with a social
very much…a man of tremendous ability” when he
about making business contacts.” conscience. He said, “The spirit of sharing and
granted him the film rights to his autobiography,
caring is central to the ethos of our business’s
He commented that these contacts, some with Long Walk to Freedom. The film titled Mandela:
social investment strategy.”
whom he still does business today, gave him an Long Walk to Freedom, is directed by Justin
insight into the industry, and mentored him as Chadwick and stars Idris Elba as Mandela and In his free time Anant enjoys swimming, photo-
he developed his business. He said, “I have built Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela. The film has graphy, books and art, He added, “Movie going
great and lasting business relationships because received wide critical acclaim internationally, and is work.”

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