A GROUP of Namibians have landed roles in’Flight of the Phoenix’, the first Hollywood action film to have been shot completely on location in Namibia.
It was not originally planned to use Namibians as extras, but a community leader from Walvis Bay persuaded Namib Films, the Namibian company working on the film, to include members of the Topnaar community at the coast. “When I heard they were looking for people with strong Chinese or Mandarin features (light or yellow skin and high cheekbones), and that they wanted to bring Chinese people from South Africa, I told them to rather consider Topnaar people who had the same features,” Rudolf Dausab told The Namibian.The movie’s plot centres on an aeroplane that crashes in the Gobi desert during a sandstorm.The crew and passengers try to build a new plane from the parts they find in the wreckage.There are only 11 actors in the movie, except at the end when the rebuilt Phoenix is chased by a gang of bandits when it attempts to take off.This is where the Namibian extras come in.Dausab was asked to assemble a group of men with the required features.A group of 36 men were picked by the producers for the attack sequence.About 10 Chinese men were also used.”I had hundreds of people coming to my house.Many of them did not have the’required look’ and I felt too bad to tell them that,” said Dausab.According to one of the extras, Stoffel Anamab, they had to act like infantry soldiers attacking the plane.”We were dressed in camouflage pants, long jackets and headscarves that only left our eyes sticking out.We were given fake AK47 machineguns and had to run down the dune while shooting at the plane.”They said it was hard work, and rather dangerous, as some of them fell and rolled down the dune “but in the end it was a lot of fun”.He said they sometimes had to rehearse a scene up to six times before the producer was happy.”The most difficult part was not to smile during the action, and to keep a serious face,” said Anamab.”My family could not wait for me to get home at night to tell them all the stories.Even when I got home at 21h00, they were all waiting anxiously to hear what had happened that day.”The family got a laugh out of the fact that they had to get made up, even if only their eyes were sticking out.Anamab denied reports in another newspaper that they were treated unfairly.”It was a wonderful experience.They gave us meals, we were put up in the bungalows at Swakopmund, and everybody was very friendly.”Dausab showed The Namibian a list of the 36 men which showed that all of them had been paid.There had been reports that some were unpaid.According to Anamab, only about five Topnaars and five Chinese were used in the actual scene, but the rest remained on standby and were paid for that service.The film, whose worth to the coastal economy has been estimated at N$257 million, employed another 150 Namibians in posts such as artisans, welders, painters and carpenters, drivers, personal assistants, a locations team and the transport department.Seven Namibians were accepted as trainees on the set through the Namibian Film Commission.They were employed in the camera, lighting, art, grips (everything below the camera), wardrobe and special effects departments.”When I heard they were looking for people with strong Chinese or Mandarin features (light or yellow skin and high cheekbones), and that they wanted to bring Chinese people from South Africa, I told them to rather consider Topnaar people who had the same features,” Rudolf Dausab told The Namibian.The movie’s plot centres on an aeroplane that crashes in the Gobi desert during a sandstorm.The crew and passengers try to build a new plane from the parts they find in the wreckage.There are only 11 actors in the movie, except at the end when the rebuilt Phoenix is chased by a gang of bandits when it attempts to take off.This is where the Namibian extras come in.Dausab was asked to assemble a group of men with the required features.A group of 36 men were picked by the producers for the attack sequence.About 10 Chinese men were also used.”I had hundreds of people coming to my house.Many of them did not have the’required look’ and I felt too bad to tell them that,” said Dausab.According to one of the extras, Stoffel Anamab, they had to act like infantry soldiers attacking the plane.”We were dressed in camouflage pants, long jackets and headscarves that only left our eyes sticking out.We were given fake AK47 machineguns and had to run down the dune while shooting at the plane.”They said it was hard work, and rather dangerous, as some of them fell and rolled down the dune “but in the end it was a lot of fun”.He said they sometimes had to rehearse a scene up to six times before the producer was happy.”The most difficult part was not to smile during the action, and to keep a serious face,” said Anamab.”My family could not wait for me to get home at night to tell them all the stories.Even when I got home at 21h00, they were all waiting anxiously to hear what had happened that day.”The family got a laugh out of the fact that they had to get made up, even if only their eyes were sticking out.Anamab denied reports in another newspaper that they were treated unfairly.”It was a wonderful experience.They gave us meals, we were put up in the bungalows at Swakopmund, and everybody was very friendly.”Dausab showed The Namibian a list of the 36 men which showed that all of them had been paid.There had been reports that some were unpaid.According to Anamab, only about five Topnaars and five Chinese were used in the actual scene, but the rest remained on standby and were paid for that service.The film, whose worth to the coastal economy has been estimated at N$257 million, employed another 150 Namibians in posts such as artisans, welders, painters and carpenters, drivers, personal assistants, a locations team and the transport department.Seven Namibians were accepted as trainees on the set through the Namibian Film Commission.They were employed in the camera, lighting, art, grips (everything below the camera), wardrobe and special effects departments.
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