Bienvenue dans le monde de Rob, un chômeur d’une vingtaine d’années. Censé être en train d’écrire le roman sud-africain du siècle, il passe d’une aventure à une autre. Un pistolet et une balaclava, un ticket de loterie gagnant, des amis, et un ennemi qui le poursuit, sont les ingrédients de cette histoire. Cette aventure permettra à Rob de découvrir un sens à sa vie.

Version française réalisée et produite hors diffusion commerciale grâce à l’ILOI (ïle de la réunion).
Traduction : Mohamed Saïd Ouma (FIFAI, Festival International des films de l’Afrique et des îles).


Fiction de Michael J. Rix, Afrique du Sud, 68′, 2007


Le premier long métrage d’animation sud africain, réalisé en pâte à modeler. Le réalisateur a mis six ans pour cela… Tengers est une satire affectueuse de la vie moderne en Afrique du Sud : « Gauteng » est le nom de la province de Johannesburg, ville de violence, -moins maintenant, dit on- groupe de grands quartiers de suractivité industrielle et commerciale. Les « tengers » sont ses habitants.

A wrenching social drama and a biting comedy about life for Tengers, the people who live and love in Gauteng. Rob is mistakenly arrested for bank robbery. Ironically, he was at the bank to meet Christine, an artist responsible for a memorial to the victims of violent crime in the city. Later cleared of the charges, Rob finds a winning lottery scratch card but believes that the national lottery is trying to murder him to prevent him from claiming his prize.

More South Park than Wallace and Gromit, more Mapantsula than Tsotsi, this delightful film made out of crudely moulded plasticine is South Africa’s first full-length animation using claymation.


The time has come for a satirical take on what it means to be South African, and what it’s like to live in a society of constant flux, forever juggling the morals and ideals you were handed growing up, with the reality of day-to-day life as a (Gau)Tenger.

Tengers is South Africa’s first animated feature film and is a dark social satire set in a contemporary South African context.



« One of the best and most relevant South African movies in a very long time… Tengers is a local movie that deserves our support because it is a pretty darned good one. »
– SA Movie Mag

« One of those local films you should see, but not out of some sense of patriotic duty but because you’ll laugh out loud a lot. »
– SL Magazine

« Darkly comic, then tragic and finally moving… A unique film. »
– Mail & Guardian

« One of the best South African movies of the past decade. »
– Empire Magazine

« Brilliantly dark comedy… both sharply satirical and compassionate. »
– Festival Daily, UK


CREDITS
Writer/Director/Producer/Editor/Cinematographer/Animator
Michael J. Rix

Sound/Music
Warren Burley

Executive Producers
Doug Rix
Jason Rogan
The National Film and Video Foundation

Songs
Mason Black
Psycho Chocolate

Principal Cast
Michael J. Rix – Rob
Jo Day – Christine
Rob Vega – Jack
Anton Schmidt – Marius
Phillip Mathebula – Fud / Vusi



Film Festivals where Tengers screened in official selection:
Cannes Film Festival, France 2006, 2007 – Short Film Corner
Cambridge International Film Festival U.K. 2007 | http://www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk/2007/07/15/interview-tengers/
DIY Film Festival L.A, U.S.A. 2007 (Winner- Best Animated Feature) | http://www.diyreporter.com/news/news2.asp?news2_id=386
Africa in the Picture Film Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2007 | http://www.africainthepicture.nl/2007/en/program/filmsA-Z/11/Tengers.html
Grossmann Film Festival, Slovenia 2007
Cambridge African Film Festival UK 2007
SA Film Festival in Parliament – Parliamentary Millenium Project 2007
Amakula Kampala Film Festival, Uganda 2007
Rotterdam African Film Festival, Netherlands 2007
Africa on Screen Festival, S.A. 2008
FYTA Film Festival, S.A. 2008
Durban International Film Festival 2008
Apollo Film Festival, S.A. Oct 2008
Festival International Du Film D’Afrique et Des Iles, Reunion Island, Oct 2008
Afrykamera Film Festival, Poland, 2009
African FF of Tarifa, Spain, 2009