New
York City - July 3rd, 2017 — After weeks of a closely guarded audition
process, 2014 Big Brother Africa-Hotshots winner Idris Sultan is cast in
the upcoming American motion picture ‘Ballin...On the Other Side of the
World,' to be directed by Harvey White, an American music director and
editor turn filmmaker who’s worked with Chris Brown, Mariah Carey, Lady
Gaga and Tamia to name a few. As a film editor, he’s worked on films
such as 'Think Like A Man 2,' 'The Wedding Ringer,' and ‘King of The
Dance Hall,’ with Whoopi Goldberg.
Written
by Torino Von Jones, the story is about a young Kenyan boy (Kunjani),
whose parents are victims of a violent crime. One day on the schoolyard,
the thirteen year old is noticed by an American priest who sees him
playing basketball and believes he has potential for greatness in the
NBA. The two develop a friendship and a mentorship begins. (King) to be
played by Sultan, is a very charming, but an extremely dangerous
gangster who has another idea and wants Kunjani to join his gang of
criminals and will stop at nothing to make it happen.
Last
seen in the Tanzanian film ‘Kiumeni,’ which marked his feature film
debut, Idris will be in Zanzibar next week for ZIFF (Zanzibar
International Film Festival) to screen ‘Kiumeni’ during ZIFF’s Swahili
Day on July 14th, with the producer and star Ernest Napoleon. Earlier
this year, Mr. Napoleon made history when he was appointed president of
the American production and distribution company D Street Media Group
based in New York City, with offices in Berlin, Buenos Aires and Cape
Town.
D
Street’s CEO and executive producer Dexter Davis became aware of Idris
from a private screening of ‘Kiumeni’ in the United States and thought
he would be great for one of the leading roles. “Idris Sultan has what
it takes to become an international star and our upcoming film
‘Ballin…On the Other Side of the World’ is a perfect fit. We’re
considering Mr. Sultan for other movies as well, said Davis. The team is
now looking forward to casting the American and Kenyan parts and can’t
wait to do a major talent search for the actors in Kenya and other East
African countries including Tanzania if necessary.”
The
story takes place in New York City and a major city in Africa. The
producers are deciding which African country the production will be
filmed and looking at the beginning of the new year to start shooting.
The film’s budget is set at $5 Million U.S. dollars and will also star
two American A-list actors to play the priest and his best friend.
‘Ballin’ is another example of D Street’s commitment to put African
talent and Africa on display in productions for the international
market. The company is also behind the action-packed heist film ‘The
Blue Mauritius,’ which is shooting in Cape Town and seeing South African
star Pearl Thusi team up with Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy) and John
Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings,) and many more international stars from
around the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment