Recently I blogged here about the Cape Town New Year’s Carnival, a series of marches, competitions and celebrations that incorporates Christmas Choirs, “Malay” Choirs and klopse (known to some participants as “Coons” or minstrels for their use of blackface) and the cultural politics around it. Well, I’ve had word of the film “The Umbrella Men” which revolves a group of klopse (the film’s creators talk about “minstrels”) who “… fall on hard-times and decide to rob a local bank during the chaos of the carnival.”

Not much is known about the film other than what’s printed on its Facebook page which lists John Barker as the director and comedian Joey Rasdien as the star. Barker directed Rasdien in the “new South African” comedy “Bunny Chow” (2006), which I haven’t seen.

Recently Barker was chosen to represent South Africa at the Cinefondation’s L’Atelier as part of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. “The Umbrella Men” was one of 15 scripts selected from across the world.

You don’t just get into Cannes for nothing.

So I hope they prove me wrong and that the final product is not collection of stereotypes that will make Leon Schuster proud.

Further Reading