Johannesburg, September 04th 2023- This September a South African independent film named ‘Verified’ will premiere at at Comicon Africa. The film was directed by South African maverick, Waleed M. Al-Yamani with the multi-talented, triple threat Richard Gau in the lead. Richard and Waleed had been looking for a project to collaborate on for many years and after Richard sent tongues wagging in Prime, Nandi and Aya – it was only a matter of time before he’d acquire Verified.
The film arrives honest in time to give the South African film industry the shot in the arm it needs. It couldn’t debut at a better time as a current wave of disruptors in the form of international corporations are buying out the genius our country has to offer in the form of filmmakers. Each wringing out the talents of writers, directors, actors and local craftsmen at the altar of competitive labour. Tax rebates and splendid locales has borne the fruit of more prime real estate being carved up by foreign powers looking for holiday homes to escape harsh winters and paralyzing strikes. The once conceived immutable mould of streaming is crumbling in an aftermath of a digital war, a global pandemic and the power of Tom Cruise.
Perhaps Ricky Bobby was correct when he yelped across a race track patting invisible flames that only Oprah, Allah and Tom Cruise could assist. The film industry like Ricky Bobby wanted to fade swiftly and now it’s nearly gone. There is hope – not in the form of a Frenchman who likes to watch reruns of the Highlander on Showmax but rather in the form of a local team. A team of guerilla filmmakers who at the height of the COVID pandemic saw all of this coming. They had pioneered a recent formula of filmmaking which was not only award winning but it was sustainable and accessible. Having experimented with the form in early 2017 and perfected it in late 2020, the team set out to deliver their most ambition film yet, “Verified”.
A film conceived as a one location film much like ‘Lock’ and the “Room” before it, ‘Verified’ was positioned as a challenger film. A wake-up call to an industry that had become complacent with exporting its resources to indifferent sycophants. A cautionary tale that speaks to the dangers of self-isolation and a wholly digital existence, you can see why the pandemic was prime real estate to reveal such a captivating account.
It begins as all remarkable modern stories carry out with an influencer named Dillon, played by the indominable sensation Richard Gau in what some are calling his best performance yet.
On the night of power, Dillon sets out for a normal night of digital debauchery, gaming, doom scrolling and snacking on a care package from another digital denizen the mysteriously named HoLi_MousX. After palming off his sister Madison, Dillon does what he does best- compel the digital world to watch him but Dillon’s plans are soon slit short by a power outage. There, in the dusky he learns that his night comes with a warning label. Alone and taunted by his online nemesis Dante, In the darkness, he can only dream of reaching that coveted prize, getting #Veriified.
It is a tale of vindication and validation told masterfully by writer director, Waleed M. Al-Yamani who loosely based the tale on his own encounter with isolation and tragedy when in 2006 he lost his step father to cancer. Produced by Melissa Amber Kahn the film features a dazzling supporting cast led by Angela Sithole and Gerard Rudolf to name honest a few.
‘Verified’ is poised to screen at ComicCon Africa with a full panel of cast and crew, access your tickets and #GetVerifiedLearn more about the film and stand a chance to win awesome giveaways here; https://www.facebook.com/targetpracticepictures
Video: INDEPENDENT FILM “VERIFIED” TO BE FEATURED AT CLOWN CON AFRICA
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