What would they like to see and hear – but mostly. my family and friends: good, solid Afrikaners, some ‘baster rooinekke’ and a few Jewish, Hungarian, Irish and Austrian pals who cherish a complicity with the Afrikaner sensibility. “After gathering some inspiration and tips and by watching and studying American musical movies, oldies and some of the many ones made recently, I looked inwards and to those in my close proximity. “There was very little advice or expertise to be sourced in South Africa” he says, “a country to which the musical film genre is something of an enigma. “And on top of that, an Afrikaans musical film? To top that, the first one in thirty odd years. “By what criterion does one measure what makes a good musical film?” asks Webber. Liefling was produced by Paul Kruger and Linda Korsten, the daughter of the late Afrikaans music icon Ge Korsten, whose 1970s hit song gave the film its name.īut producing the first Afrikaans musical in 30 years took some hard thinking and new lessons. The story is told through song and dance, and a total of 24 well-known Afrikaans songs are spring-cleaned and presented in a fresh and exciting way to tell the tale of Liefling Marais and the people in her world. The scheming Melanie (Marlee van der Merwe) on the other hand will do anything to have Jan for herself. Herholdt stars again in Liefling, this time as the mother of Liefling Marais (Lika Berning), the adventure-loving girl who meets Jan (Bobby van Jaarsveld) and falls madly in love.
#TOP AFRIKAANSE MUSIEK 2015 MOVIE#
That movie starred Afrikaans music’s sweetheart Sonja Herholdt alongside André Swiegers, with the music created by the legendary Anton Goosen. Liefling is the first Afrikaans musical to hit the big screen since FC Hamman’s Sing vir die Harlekyn came out almost 30 years ago. It was filmed in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Hartebeespoort and Lucerne, Switzerland. The 21st-century resurgence of both Afrikaans music and film in South Africa, a reflection of a new generation untouched by apartheid, is sweetly summed up in the charming new movie Liefling, the first feature-length Afrikaans musical produced in 30 years.ĭirected by multitalented actor, writer, artist, designer and director Brian Webber, Liefling is a simple feel-good love story using famous evergreen Afrikaans songs from the 1970s up to the latest hits of today. Liefling tells the story of Liefling Marais (Lika Berning), an adventure-loving girl who meets Jan (Bobby van Jaarsveld) and falls madly in love.