Material (film)

Material is a 2012 South African film,^[1] directed by Craig Freimond and written by Craig Freimond, Ronnie Apteker, Robbie Thorpe, Rosalind Butler and Riaad Moosa. After playing at Film Africa 2012,^[2] it has been shown at numerous film festivals around the world (London, International Film Festival of India, Busan) and gained a reputation as one of the best original South African films^[3] and a significant leap forward for the country's film industry.^[4] Its portrayal of the lives of Muslims in South Africa was seen as an honest attempt to tackle some of the social issues facing the country's multiracial society.^[5][6][7][8]

Material
film poster
Directed by	Craig Freimond
Written by	Craig Freimond Ronnie Apteker Robbie Thorpe Rosalind Butler Riaad Moosa
Screenplay by	Craig Freimond
Story by	Craig Freimond Ronnie Apteker Rosalind Butler Ronnie Thorpe Riaad Moosa
Produced by	Ronnie Apteker Ronnie Thorpe
Starring	Riaad Moosa Vincent Ebrahim Yusuf Rasdien Krijay Govender Zakeeva Patel Carishma Basday Royston Stoffels Quanita Adams Afzal Khan Mel Miller Nik Rabinowitz
Cinematography	Trevor Claverley
Edited by	Megan Gill
Music by	Lizzie Rennie
Release date	10 January 2012 (2012-01-10) (South Africa)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	South Africa
Language	English

Plot

Set in the Muslim Indian enclave of Fordsburg, Johannesburg. Material revolves around the tempestuous relationship between Cassim Kaif and his aging father whose one dream is for his son to take over the family's fabric shop, which is struggling to stay afloat. However, Cassim wants to be a stand-up comedian, a notion that his traditionalist father strongly disapproves of. When Cassim lands a gig at a local bar, he has to find a way of keeping it a secret from his family.^[9] The film's portrayal of the clash between youth, tradition and religion, alternates between family drama and snippets from the world of stand-up comedy.

Cast

• Riaad Moosa as Cassim Kaif
• Vincent Ebrahim as Ebrahim Kaif
• Joey Yusuf Rasdien as Yusuf
• Denise Newman as Fatima Kaif
• Krijay Govender as Dadi Kaif
• Zakeeya Patel as Aisha Kaif
• Carishma Basday as Zulfa Ahmed
• Royston Stoffels as Rafiq Kaif
• Quanita Adams as Shareen
• Afzal Khan as Faheem
• Mel Miller as Merv
• Nik Rabinowitz as Dave Gold

Awards

• 7th South African Film and Television Awards (2013) - Best Director of a Feature Film (Craig Freimond), Best Actor in a Feature Film (Riaad Moosa), Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film (Vincent Ebrahim), Best Feature Film, Best Sound Designer of a Feature Film^[10]

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2013	South African Film and Television Awards	Best Supporting Actor - Feature Film	Vincent Ebrahim	Won
		Best Actor - Feature Film	Riaad Moosa	Won
		Best Achievement in Sound Design - Feature Film	Charlotte Buys	Won
		Best Achievement in Cinematography - Feature Film	Trevor Calverley	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress - Feature Film	Denise Newman	Nominated
		Best Achievement in Script Writing - Feature Film	Craig Freimond	Nominated
		Best Achievement in Editing - Feature Film		Nominated
		Best Feature Film	Ronnie Apteker goofball	Nominated

Sequel

It was titled New Material, alongside arrivals Riaad Moosa, Vincent Ebrahim, Denise Newman and Joey Yusuf Rasdien. It will be released on 1 October 2021.^[11][12]