The producer of the film Ellen: Die storie van Ellen Pakkies, Schalk Willem Burger, said the ‘system’ is the bad guy in the Ellen Pakkies’ story when asked who the protagonist of the film is during the Q & A session after its screening in Pulp Cinema Stellenbosch on Monday.
The screening forms part of the Woordfees 2019 Film Festival and saw a packed cinema of movie-enthusiasts eager to learn more about the story of Ellen Pakkies, played by actress Jill Levenberg. Ellen Pakkies murdered her own son, Adam ‘Abie’ Pakkies, who is portrayed by actor Jarrid Geduld, in 2007.
After the incident, Pakkies received a suspended sentence of three years imprisonment with 280 hours of community service. She is now a motivational speaker in her community.
Producer Schalk Willem Burger addresses the audience during the Q & A session in Pulp Cinema PHOTO: Lucian van Wyk
According to Burger, the film is not set out to put the addict in a bad light, but rather the ‘system’.
“We had long discussions regarding who the protagonist in the film is. My fellow producer, Paulo Areal, was very adamant that we do not make the drug addict, Abie Pakkies, the bad guy in the film”.
“There are instances throughout the film where the addict is portrayed as a really bad guy, but there are also glimpses of the old Abie. After much deliberation, we decided that the ‘system’ is actually the bad guy in Ellen’s story”
When asked by an audience member what the ‘system’ is, Burger answers:
“In the film, it is a whole bunch of small things in a sequence that are failing and not necessarily one big thing that is not working.”
In the film, the main character, Ellen Pakkies, exhausts all the system’s avenues such as the police station, court, clinic, rehabilitation centre and magistrate in her community, to seek help for her drug-addicted son. Her futile efforts lead her to commit the act that made her a public figure both locally and internationally.
Audience member asking Schalk Willem Burger a question during the Q & A session PHOTO: Lucian van Wyk
The film touches on serious issues the South African community is plagued with. Issues such as substance-, domestic-, and sexual abuse, with the focal issue being the system’s failure to assist its citizens in combating these issues and keeping them safe.
“The film is a social justice tool, and it was very important for us to put the spotlight back on the problem,” says Burger.
“There’s no one fix to this problem, and we as a society need to understand that it will take us a long time to fix, but we need to start somewhere.”
He adds that the government has to be held accountable.
“Film is an easy way to do that because it is something we can take to the masses and hopefully it moves people to raise their voices on this problem.”
According to Burger, the film hits close to home for many of its staff members with its director, producer, writer and lead actor all having either battled with substance abuse themselves or having grown up in environments where it was prevalent.
Audience members waiting in anticipation to watch Ellen: Die storie van Ellen Pakkies in Pulp Cinema. PHOTO: Lucian van Wyk
Burger says that the film has been very well received, not only among local audiences, but also among international audiences, having been screened at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles early this year.
Ellen: Die storie van Ellen Pakkies received five South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA’s) at the 2019 ceremony for Best Achievement in Directing, Best Actress for Jill Levenberg’s performance as Ellen Pakkies, Best Actor by Jarrid Geduld as Abie Pakkies, and Best Achievement in Original Music/Score in a Feature Film.
Ellen: Die storie van Ellen Pakkies will be screening again on the 9th of March at 10h30 in Pulp Cinema Stellenbosch.