First Friday Film Club :: September

South Africa / 2022 / 35mins / Comedy / Drama / Setswana

BOTLHALE is a mental health-themed film inspired by the events of Life Esidimeni in 2016. Bothell, who’s mentally ill, makes new friends and finds love when he’s institutionalised. The comrades plan an escape to Chicken Heart, a fast-food joint, where they’ll live out their fantasies of being high-society people. But their outing collides with the shutting down of their home, forcing the friends to confront tragedy and death head-on

We will be joined by Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt a writer and director with experience in comedy and drama TV series, in addition to being a commercial director. She's a South African Film and TV Award winner in the writing category, and her TV work includes being a part of original concepts like the hit female prison series Lockdown. She has also worked on international adaptations such as Africa's first Ugly Betty, and Ubettina Wethu, bringing a local flavour to well-known and loved characters. Rea's three award-winning short films, The Virgin Vegan, Mma Moeketsi, and Intelligent, are a body of work that shows off her narrative and aesthetic flair, her comedic instinct, and her enthusiasm for working with young performers. She currently has two feature narratives on her horizon: a mystery-comedy for Netflix and a dramedy for MNET. Rea’s also working on her first feature documentary based on an uplifting mental health story in Zimbabwe. Rea is a master's graduate from the acclaimed National Film and Television School. She is a documentary fellow of the American Film Showcase (which was hosted by the University of Southern California), a fellow of the Cannes Producers Network, DFM Access, and The Gotham (formerly IFP).