The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) of South Africa has officially selected Imran Hamdulay’s The Heart Is a Muscle as the country’s submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards, reports deadline.com.
Hamdulay’s debut feature explores the complex bonds between fathers and sons through the lens of inter-generational healing and forgiveness. Set in the country’s Cape Flats neighborhood, the film draws on specific local experiences while addressing the universal search for reconciliation and belonging. The narrative centers on a man’s struggle to confront inherited memories and, through the difficult work of forgiveness, learn to become the father and husband he aspires to be.
The film premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival this year, where it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize. It has continued its global run with appearances at festivals like Sydney and the upcoming Cairo International Film Festival.
Commenting on the selection, director Imran Hamdulay said, “The film is very close to my heart. It’s a shared story born from the voices and experiences of the community around it, and we’re just so thrilled to have it as South Africa’s entry at the Academy Awards this year.”
The Heart Is a Muscle, written and directed by Hamdulay, is produced by The Star Film Company’s Adam Thal (The Last Ranger), Khosie Dali (Sons of the Sea), Brett Michael Innes (Sink), and Lucifer’s Lesley-Ann Brandt. Key backing for the drama came from the NFVF, the Red Sea Fund, and South Africa’s Indigenous Film Distribution. MMM Film Sales is handling international rights.
South Africa has a notable history in the International Feature category. Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi secured a win for the country in 2005, and Darrel Roodt’s Yesterday was nominated in 2004. More recently, both The Wound (2017) and Life, Above All (2010) were selected for the category’s shortlist.
•Featured image:The Heart is a Muscle/Star Film Company
