The Shakedown, Amazon Prime Video’s first South African original film, will be released next month as South Africa continues to make creative strides on the global stage.
Set in Cape Town, the crime comedy will be available on the streaming service on the 8th of August. It has an all-star cast, including Julia Anastasopoulos from Tali’s Diary, Carl Beukes from Lioness, and Emmanuel Castis from Warrior and G20.
They will be joined by South African rapper Jack Parow, rising talent Berenice Barbier, Milton Schorr (One Piece), David Isaacs (Spinners), and James Borthwick (Hotel).
Ari Kruger, Julia’s husband, makes his feature directorial debut with The Shakedown and also co-writes the film.
He has received three Best Comedy Director awards from the South African Film & Television Awards for his work on the Tali’s Diary series. Kruger has also worked on award-winning short films, television commercials, and comedy specials for Nik Rabinowitz and Marc Lottering.
The couple founded Sketchbook Studios, a Cape Town-based production company that produces The Shakedown.
According to Variety, the film revolves around Justin Diamond (Carl), a well-known medical aid broker who becomes embroiled in the mother city’s underworld when his mistress threatens to reveal the truth about their affair.
This sends him down a path filled with dangerous criminals, misplaced identities and comic mishaps as he desperately tries to keep his reputation and regain control of his life.
Carl recently described the project on Instagram as “one of the most incredible experiences of my life.” Along with the movie trailer, he wrote, “I can not wait for everyone to see this.”
Julia, who portrays his wife, wrote on Instagram, “What literal dreams are made of!! We had a great time making this film and are excited to share it with the rest of the world.”
Meanwhile, Jack, who plays Mikey, a bumbling and comical hitman, recently told EWN that he was excited to be a part of the cast, despite his lack of acting experience.
“I wasn’t sure about this one because I haven’t done much acting… but the director gave me the confidence to try this out and I really enjoyed it, and it was so much fun and a great experience,” Jack told the publication.
He added: “It was such a jol working with a bunch of amazing actors… I even had my own stunt double where I’m getting knocked into walls and bookshelves. It was just crazy, and to have all these professionals helping me along the way, it was really great.”
The Shakedown premieres on Amazon Prime Video on the 8th of August.
Compiled by Murray Swart
First published by Cape Town etc
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