If there is a quiet time in the movie release schedule, it’s going to be January. So it’s not surprising then that the first Friday of 2024 at South African cinemas is a pretty subdued affair – with just two big screen debuts. Here’s what you should know about the pair.
Historical drama One Life tells the true story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, who helped save hundreds of Central European children from the Nazis on the eve of World War II. Winton’s efforts to rescue Jewish children from Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s was a key part of an operation known as the Kindertransport. Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn play Winton at different ages, while the pedigreed cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Lena Olin, Romola Garai, and Jonathan Pryce.
Slipping into the tail end of the school holidays to keep the kids entertained is animated comedy adventure Noah’s Ark, out of Brazil. Putting a fresh spin on the Bible story, Noah’s Ark centres on two mice, Vini and Tito, who sneak onto the Ark with the help of an ingenious cockroach. Though they’re not supposed to be there, the musically talented mice will be instrumental in averting a showdown between the ship’s carnivores and plant eaters.