The South African documentary film “Rise - the Siya Kolisi Story” will host its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.
Just under 110 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries will wow the crowds at this year’s Tribeca Festival in New York City from June 7 to 18.
Directed by the award-winning Tebogo Malope, “Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story” chronicles the life of Mzansi’s number one sportsman Siya Kolisi, growing up in poverty to becoming the first black rugby captain to win the Cup in 2019.
In the film, Kolisi shares both his challenges and victories, which include his rise to international stardom, his complicated relationship with his father, his struggle with alcoholism and his journey with his wife, Rachel Kolisi.
Produced by Jon Day, the documentary feature takes audiences through a remarkable story of a rebellious young man who develops into a leader and cultural icon, who is admired the world over.
Speaking to IOL Entertainment, Malope says being part of the film is a great privilege and he cannot wait for the world to experience the incredible story of Siya Kolisi.
“The hardest thing about making a film about someone, who is well known and loved by so many people is that almost everybody knows his story. And so you think that came to my mind when I took on this project was, ‘What am I going tell that nobody knows?
“So, I met with Siya at a restaurant in Cape Town and I asked him, ‘What can I tell that nobody knows? And he started going down his personal journey of faith and challenges he faced as a young man and how rugby changed his life,” says Malope.
The Soweto-born star says it was at that moment that he realised that he’s not just telling a typical story of a famous individual but an honest and authentic story that has the potential to impact the lives of many people.
“If you look at the film, it has three pillars; It’s Siya and Rachel, Siya and his dad and Siya and South Africa.
“The first conversation was about how we were going to treat this narrative with his dad.
“In fact, the hardest conversation that happened, on camera, for Siya, was confronting his dad about his childhood and how he grew up.
“And even after they watched the edited version, and realised how brutal and hard-hitting it was, they still thought that the nation needed to see it.”
Recounting his first encounter with Siya, Malope elaborates: “From the moment that I met Siya I realised that this man has a massive calling.
“Some people may say, he was meant to unite the country. He was meant to give us hope once again. And that's all good. It's part of his calling.
“After working on this film for three years, I realised that his calling was to remind people of the greatest gift of humanity.
“I think a lot of people have swayed away from pursuing that divine nature of kindness, of good neighbourliness, of being a good husband, a good father, a good mother, a good friend, a good brother or sister.
“And his story is essentially that massive call for us to go back to that divine nature, that is full of grace, love, kindness and gratitude.”
For Malope, showcasing the film at Tribeca film festival is the biggest honour to him and South Africa as a whole.
“Tribeca is in the top three biggest film festivals in the world and ‘Rise: Siya Koli The Story’ is a dream come true.
“I’m excited that the film is now reaching a broader audience, the international market.
“And the fact that there are filmmakers and storytellers who watch the story and purely on the merit of the story and how it was told, picked it out against almost 10,000 other submissions, that's massive.
“As a filmmaker, it's a nod from the international industry to say ‘we love what you're doing, you’re gifted and talented and keep going’.
“And if there's anything, I hope this opportunity says to other filmmakers in South Africa, that ‘we got the talent, we work hard, and we can do it at the highest level.”’
Meanwhile, Rachel has pleaded with Mzansi to pray for Siya in an Instagram post.
She wrote: “Hey friends! Believing for a miracle. Would really appreciate if you could take a minute out your day to pray with us!
“I’ve seen God do it before and believe he will do it again.“
The post has raised concerns around Siya’s injuries, with many suspecting that the Springbok captain may not be able to participate in the Rugby World Cup 2023, set to take in France late this year.
“Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story” is available on Showmax.