Flanders credits EL upbringing for creativity
Author, actress returns to screen in new comedy
Bianca Flanders is an artistic supernova who credits her East London heritage for her creativity.
This month, she showcases the best of her Buffalo Flats roots in a latest on-screen production, Frankie en Felipe, scheduled to hit cinemas across the country this week.
The film follows Franklin Blaze, a hard-working young man from an impoverished background who, en-route to professional and personal success, is forced to reckon with his past after his bumbling halfbrother lands himself in hot water with a loan shark.
The film’s plot is at once inspirational and humorous and celebrates resilience in the face of adversity and commitment to achieving one’s aspirations.
An Afrikaans film directed by Marvin-Lee Beukes, and the latest movie from The Film Factory and Sturvy Pictures, in cooperation with kykNET Films, Frankie en Felipe was among the late Bradley Olivier’s last creative productions, co-written by himself and Solomon Cupido who are the film’s leads.
Flanders plays the kindhearted, spunky, and resourceful Tracy Fortuin and is joined onscreen by the best in SA cinema including Zane Meas, Kim Syster, Ilse Klink and Lee-Ann van Rooi.
Flanders is a performing arts prodigy who does it all, from voice acting to writing, and from her earliest days she recalls her talents always being nurtured and supported by her family in East London despite leaving the city for Cape Town when she was a baby.
Her earliest memories are interwoven with scenes of her grandmother playing piano in Buffalo Flats and being encouraged to sing and dance for her parents’ visitors.
She believes East London has shaped much of who she has become as an artist, feeding into her disciplined work ethic which Cupido praises as typifying the attitudes of Eastern Cape artists.
Cupido said: “I don ’ t think any other actress in the country would have done a better job than Bianca in bringing the character of Tracy to life.
“Initially we had someone else in mind for the role but after Bianca’s chemistry test, we were forced to reconsider because she brought something new to the character to make it her own and it just blew us away.
“Bianca’s passion and obvious enjoyment for the craft is infectious. When she approaches the script, movie or performance, she does a lot of her own research and keeps an open-mind and this means you always get the best from working with her and it must be something in the water in East London that produces hardworking, committed and talented people.”
Flanders has appeared onscreen in acclaimed films, Troukoors and Barakat while also writing and directing her first feature film, Nativity, on Showmax in 2021 and publishing bestselling children’s books.
Of her experience on Frankie en Felipe she said it was a huge honour to be working with actors she admires and being part of a project that is vulnerable in the themes it explores while also stretching her skill set in comedy.
Flanders is inspired by SA people especially our ability to heal from hurt and she hopes her performance in this film captures this resilience.
She said: “This film brings me so much joy and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this excited for a movie to come out.
“I loved being part of a film that shows brown people happy and in love and owning their power. We don’t often get to see that onscreen.
“My role was also a challenge for me because I had to be okay with being vulnerable, especially around Tracy’s struggles with her weight and body image.
“This is something I have struggled with myself and so it hit close to home so I had to be brave to be okay with playing that.
“I hope the film reminds audiences that dreams, love and success are possible and that we are not defined by the way we grow up.
“Each and every person is magic and it is our duty to share our skills and talents with the world.”
Flanders hopes to see more East London creatives on screen and behind the scenes as some of the best work she has seen was created from artists in small towns who remained committed and worked hard.
Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council film manager Bonganjalo Marhala said Flanders’ achievements onscreen give local aspiring actors a reference point to aspire towards despite the challenges that inhibit the development of actors and film production locally, chief among them, the lack of funding and the dearth of film production schools that are local and affordable.
Marhala said: “When one of our own reaches such heights, it’s a true inspiration and shows that people from our environment can make it.
“She is a case study in success and she is a repository of wisdom for us because she understands our local context.”
Frankie en Felipe will be out on cinemas on February 23.
Bianca’s passion and obvious enjoyment for the craft is infectious