'Banned' director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka to make US debut

Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, whose controversial film Of Good Report was initially banned by South African censors, is to direct US romantic comedy Heaven Hath No Fury, written by Leon Chills and Chad Sanders, for New York-based D Street Media Group.

It marks Qubeka’s debut in the US and his first film since 2013’s Of Good Report, about a teacher who embarks on an affair with his pupil that was prevented from opening the Durban International Film Festival last year due to a refusal of classification by the South African Film and Publications Board.

It has since screened in South Africa following a successful appeal by the producers and won the LA BAFTA for Best Feature at the 2014 Pan African Film Festival last month.

Heaven Hath No Fury follows a New York playboy whose decision to break the wrong woman’s heart, knocks the world out of kilter, as men start to see the world through the eyes of women.

“What attracted me to the project was the producers’ vision and approach to the material,” said Qubeka. “We certainly share the same ambitions for the picture. Film is a collaborative creative process and it’s very important for me to work with a team that exudes that ethos. I wanted to tackle material that had a wider audience appeal yet at the same time has the scope to be elevated beyond the conventions of its set genre.”

The feature is currently being packaged and filmmakers plan to add it to their current slate at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Qubeka is repped by The Artists Partnership UK.

Dexter Davis, executive producer and CEO of D Street Media Group, said: “I believe this film will further spotlight Mr Qubeka’s incredible talent as a well-rounded, diverse filmmaker. The brilliant film ‘Of Good Report’ is film noir and the decision to stray away from what might be expected of him is smart, courageous and brave. We have every confidence in the world that he will deliver us an unforgettable film.