Project Detail

Kin

Synopsis

South African-born Elaine Proctor's Kin was inspired by a community-based conservation scheme in the Koakoveld in Namibia. The story charts the emotional journey of Anna (Miranda Otto), who lives with her brother (Chris Chameleon) in the remote Namibian desert, working for wildlife conservation. When she falls for a black American traveller (Isaiah Washington), the conflict with her brother forces her to choose between the US and the home she loves.

"It's a film about learning to love," says Proctor, whose previous films, Friends and On The Wire, have won her fans on the international festival circuit.

Because filming in the Koakoveld was too impractical, Kin was shot south of Namibia's capital, Windhoek, on the edge of the desert, which provides a stunning background to the drama. Music was used to highlight the film's themes.

"We wanted the beginning and end to be quite epic, to accentuate the massive continent of Africa and the very powerful forces of nature that we see throughout the film," says Proctor. "It's a very emotional film. The romance goes all wrong and through a sequence of images, we realise that it's not going

to work."

The film premiered at the Taormina Film Festival in July and festival dates so far confirmed include Mill Valley in October.

Details

Year: 2000
Type of project: Features
Director: Elaine Proctor
Composer: Justin Adams.
Dir: Elaine Proctor. 2000. 35mm. 90mins. julia@bard.ftech.co.uk Exec prod: Miles Donnelly. Prod: Margaret Matheson. Scr: Elaine Proctor. DoP: Amelia Vincent. Prod des: Mark Wilby. Main cast: Miranda Otto, Isaiah Washington, Chris Chameleon, Moses Kandjoze, Ndondoro Hevita, Susan Coetzer, Martin Stefanus. Budget: Just under £3m. Funding: British Screen, Arts Council of England, Cinequanon, BSkyB.