[By Robyn Cohen, Independent Online]

There was no fanfare or red carpet when a Cape Town-made film, The Lion of Judah, quietly opened in 100 cinemas across the US last weekend.

The film is about the crucifixion of Christ told from the perspective of the animals that were in the stable at his birth. The film’s director, Deryck Broom, says that as far as he knows it is the first 3D animated feature film to come out of Africa and get international distribution. Voices include Clint Eastwood’s son Scott, who plays Monty, a teenage donkey, and veteran actor Ernest Borgnine, 91, who plays Slink, a clever mouse.

I spoke to an excited Broom shortly before he was about to fly to Los Angeles for the first screening. He said it was not going to be a Hollywood affair with red carpet and parties, and his family was paying for his ticket.

But it’s certainly something to celebrate – a low-budget film (less than $10 million, says Broom) with a strong Christian narrative coming out of Africa into mainstream cinema.

The genesis of The Lion of Judah goes back to a short animated film called Once Upon a Stable, made eight years ago in Zimbabwe. The storyline traces the birth of Jesus as seen by the animals in the stable. Johan Sturm saw it in Zimbabwe and bought the rights. Sturm used to be a property developer in Joburg, “and then he felt that God had called him to the film industry and he started to make films”.

Using the characters in Once Upon a Stable, Sturm developed the idea into a full-length feature and as executive producer invited the two production companies involved with Once Upon a Stable (Sunrise Productions and Character Matters) to make it. The companies asked Broom, with whom they have worked in the past, to direct.

Broom, 36, who has worked in film and TV for 13 years, is something of a neophyte when it comes to making feature films. The Lion of Judah is his first feature, but the producers had faith in his skills and vision, which dovetailed with their creative and ideological vision.

It is a redemption story, says Broom. “It is 33 years after Jesus was born. A little lamb from the stable – Judah – thinks he is a lion because he is so brave. He is taken to Jerusalem to be sacrificed at Passover. Judah’s furry friends set off to rescue him. The animals’ story intertwines with the biblical narrative and they become intimately involved in all aspects of the Easter story – Palm Sunday, Peter’s betrayal, the crucifixion and resurrection, and ultimately it is Jesus who saves the day, the real Lion of Judah.”

In addition to Judah the lamb, Monty the donkey and Slink the mouse, there is a Horace the pig, Drake the rooster and Esmay the cow. The soundtrack consists of music recorded by Grammy award-winning gospel artists.

When I tell Broom that the film sounds like a biblical version of Shrek, he smiles and says that is not a bad description. There are aspects of Shrek in the imaging, and like Shrek, the film is targeted at the family market with the hope that adults will enjoy the references and allusions in the script. If you view the film through 3D glasses, everything is enhanced but it is not essential.

The animals take centre stage. Initially, they were not going to have people in the film but it was subsequently decided that it was necessary in order to provide some context for the the narrative. But in animation, time is money and there was not enough time to develop the human figures and this is why – in Broom’s own words – they look a bit like zombies. Initially, the filmmakers were dubious, but then they decided they liked the effect because the humans are meant to disappear into the background and not compete with the animals.

For Broom as director and doing multiple jobs on the film, the completion of the project has been a miracle. “In one month I recorded voices on four continents – Hollywood, London, Cape Town and Mumbai.” Putting actors like Borgnine and Eastwood through their paces was great fun. Despite his great age, Borgnine was scampering around the studio, getting into his character of Slink the mouse, while Eastwood did push-ups to conjure up the breathless panting of the donkey.

How the film will be received remains to be seen but everything is in place to give it a fair shake at making a decent dent at the box office.

Release in a 100 cinemas is enough to generate a buzz and if the film strikes a chord with audiences, requests will hopefully come in for additional prints. In addition, Warner Bros is taking care of DVD, Blu-ray and international release.

The Lion of Judah will be released in South Africa by NuMetro in September.

See the original story here: http://www.iol.co.za/tonight/movies/animated-3d-first-for-africa-1.1081147