by Coen Jacobs

As stated in the 2017 film Love by Chance “Everyone has something special inside of themselves”. This special something is the ingredient of our dreams, but it is yet to be discovered, developed, brought to life and matured to reach its full potential. Even more than that, it has to survive the challenges of discouragement, doubt and sacrifice. The question is: what will you do when your moment comes and when the spotlight falls onto your special something, and when the stage is set for your dream on the verge of becoming a reality?

This question is explored in the South African-US co-production romantic comedy, Love by Chance, directed by Samad Davis. This film follows the journey of two aspiring actors form South Africa, who are independently trying to find their own spotlight in Hollywood. It explores what happens when the spotlight of a Hollywood set falls on their special talents, but the film also goes deeper and explores what happens when the spotlight of love illuminates their hearts.

Altovise Lawrence stars as the female lead. She was winner of the first season of Top Actor Africa. Her character Bailey, not only embarks on a journey of finding her spotlight, but her journey also entails finding her own confidence and self-acceptance. The male lead role is played by Atandwa Kani, son of renowned actor, director and playwright John Kani. Kani in his role as Chance, captures the audience with his brilliant acting talent. Through the film his character develops from an amateur aspiring actor to a successful actor who is assigned a leading role. However this new role entails new challenges and the audience is captured by the tension of whether his new role will make or break him. Throughout the movie the viewer is introduced not only to Kani’s comedic side, but also by his more serious side as his character develops.

However, the lead characters are not alone on their journeys to making their dreams a reality. They are accompanied by family, friends and lovers who not only support them, but also bring a new realistic dimension on how to juggle all the balls of living your dream while also having others to look out for. Sometimes chasing your dreams comes at a cost.

US co-stars include Carl Anthony Payne, Clifton Powell, Terri J. Vaughn, E. Roger Mitchell, and Lil Zane. Most of these co-stars enhanced the reality of the film, which contributed to its success. Not only because of their well-known names, but also because of their characters confronting the lead characters with opportunities, truths and the hardships of standing on a stage while the curtain is dropped.

From the first scenes it is evident that this movie entails a journey where comedy and drama, love and hate, success and failure, fame and obscurity meet. But the mosaic of this film is glued together by the elements of reality which beautifully portrays the real struggles of everyday life on the journey of following your dreams. Not only do the characters have to deal with the physical, practical and financial demands of their journey, but they also have to realize the emotional demands of self-doubt and being let down.

The film is produced by Samad Davis and Ty Johnston-Chavis with Errol Sadler as co-producer, Cristina Davis as associate producer, and James Few as line producer. The film’s local producers are Dumi Gumbi and Cati Weinek of the Ergo Company. They produced the recent film, Mrs Right Guy, and winner of best film at the Jozi Film Festival, Dora’s Peace. The incidental music in this film enhances a particular atmosphere of laughter, tension and heartache.

For me this film was capturing. Not only did I enjoy the light, funny side of this film, but also felt it pulling on my heart strings, as I started identifying with the characters’ challenges and realizations. I particularly enjoyed the bridging of worlds and cultures as portrayed in this film. The development of the characters spoke clearly to me as viewer. However I felt that the logical build-up of the film ended too abruptly and caused the film to lose touch with some of the aspects of reality. Ready to buckle up and be inspired to chase your own dreams?

The film releases countrywide on 5 May 2017.

This review was edited by Bronwen Kerry.  Photos by the feature’s Publicists and Coen Jacobs

The post Review: Love by Chance appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Altovise Lawrence, winner of the first season of Top Actor South Africa, stars as leading lady, ‘Bailey’ in the romantic comedy Love By Chance by award-winning international film and television producer and director Samad Davis. The film is a pioneer in the eyes of Davis because it combines South African an US talent

Starring alongside Lawrence is Atandwa Kani, son of renowned actor, director and playwright John Kani, and a sterling cast of local and international favourites and new entrants. Included in the cast is Altovise’s co-competitor Nicholas Nkuna, and Denise Zimba, known for her role as “Mary Gumede” in Generations: The Legacy.

Love By Chance, shot in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, is about two aspiring actors from South Africa who are independently in America, trying to crack into an extremely difficult and over saturated Hollywood industry. They meet by chance, but between the everyday struggle of auditioning, dealing with daily rejection, self-doubt, financial hardship, and crazy friends who has time for love?

US co-stars include funny man Carl Anthony Payne II, famed for his role in the iconic television series “Martin”; Clifton Powell, of Ray, Rush Hour and Grand Theft Auto; Terri J. Vaughn, known for her roles in Girlfriends Getaway, Greenleaf and The Steve Harvey show; E. Roger Mitchell who co-starred alongside Denzel Washington in Flight and Equalizer; and Lil Zane former rap super star and actor.

Having just wrapped on the international series Blood Drive, shot in Cape Town, Altovise says, “I’ve been fortunate to play complex characters this year, from Scandal to Blood Drive and now Love By Chance. I am nervous and thrilled, but more than anything, I am grateful to land this role. Bailey is a complex character and I see a lot of myself in her. Having South Africans at the centre of this narrative is an important step in taking our talent to the world.”

On her leading man Atandwa, Altovise says, “I’ got to play alongside someone who is no stranger to our screens and stages. We both studied drama at the University of the Witwatersrand and I trust his work and talent. We brought out the best in each other through our performances.”

The film’s local producers are Dumi Gumbi and Cati Weinek of the Ergo Company. They produced the recent hit Mrs Right Guy and winner of best film at the Jozi Film Festival, Dora’s Peace, “We are excited to be collaborating with director / producer  Samad Davis on this romcom,” says Gumbi. “It’s great to see South Africans sharing a platform with top American talent.

Production on the film started October 2016 in Atlanta Georgia with all post production of the film taking place in South Africa making it a truly collaborative production between the producers and countries.”

“As an African-American, I am fueled by my vision of bridging cultural gaps between Africa and the United States through the power of film and television,” says director Samad Davis. “The Top Actor Africa brand was built on this premise and the film Love By Chance embodies that mantra. Being able to work with the right South African and international talent, both in front of and behind the camera, is priceless. Teamwork truly makes the dream work.”

The film is set to release locally and internationally in the first quarter of 2017. In South Africa, it will be distributed by Indigenous Film Distribution.

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