The award winning non-profit production company Touched By Style Community Arts Projects and Films based on the Cape Flats is releasing a brand new series this week.
The company has been serving aspiring actors across the Cape with opportunities to star in various short films, and is back with their 11th project titled ‘Uncle Billy’.
Touched By Style was founded by Nic Matthee and Patrick Lategan and this year the Cape Flats filmmakers were nominated for 10 international awards at the Interfilm International Short Film Festival in Germany and were honoured with two awards for their non-profit film Death Angel.
They bagged the 2024 International Community Choice Award and the International Recognition Award in May.
‘Uncle Billy’ was created by Norman Diedricks and supervised by Patrick Lategan and seeks to unite gifted individuals from various communities.
Norman says, "We embarked on this community project with a leap of faith, supported by schools, small businesses and even self-funding.
“It was an educational journey where we learned that winners never quit and quitters never win, and that persistence is the key to keeping the wheels of progress turning."
The seven-part short film series will debut its first episode, "The Cats, The Claw and The Whiteman," on their YouTube channel today.
Having begun production in June, the series stars 16 up and coming actors from the Flats and promises ‘action, stunts, and high-adrenaline’ to viewers.
Uncle Billy is a fierce anti-hero who takes on the criminals, drug lords, and thugs terrorising Cape Flats communities.
His actions signal a relentless crusade against crime, the likes of which the criminals never foresaw.
Lategan says: "With our future performing arts projects, we aim to expand on a larger scale to meet the community's high demand for participation.
“Our goal is to eventually establish a film studio within the Cape Flats and in reach of others that offers drama and acting lessons, fitness exercises, basic stunt training, action scene simulations, and practical make-up and prosthetics effects workshops to cater to the increasing interest."
Those interested to participate in future projects can send an email to [email protected]