Canal+, Studiocanal, and Flora Films announce that The Road Home, starring Cynthia Erivo and Guy Pearce, will start principal photography in June.
With filming set to start in June in South Africa, STUDIOCANAL has partnered with Flora Films on The Road Home. This film stars Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, Harriet). In addition, the cast includes multi-award-winning South African actor, writer, director, and producer Thabo Rametsi (Silverton Siege). Furthermore, Academy Award Nominee Guy Pearce (The Brutalist, INK) will also star.
Academy Award winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls, Kiss of the Spider Woman) will direct from an original script by Michael Bronner (The Mauritanian, United 93). The story is by Michael Bronner and Zakes Mda.
THE PREMISE
After being exiled from his native South Africa, trumpeter Hugh Masekela (Rametsi) finds himself torn between two worlds. His mentor, the passionate anti-apartheid advocate Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Pearce), leads the Anti-Apartheid Movement in launching a boycott against Hugh’s friend Paul Simon. The boycott targets Simon’s township music-inspired album “Graceland,” as they accuse him of violating the United Nations’ Cultural Boycott.
As a result, splitting from his mentor, Masekela, who sees music as a powerful weapon in the struggle, joins forces with fellow exile and lifelong collaborator, powerhouse vocalist Miriam ‘Mama Africa’ Makeba (Erivo). Together, they create the Graceland band. This is a super group designed to bring South Africa’s voice to the world. The film features the exhilarating music of Masekela, Makeba, and Paul Simon. Ultimately, this is a story of defiance, sacrifice, and the resilience of the human spirit.
MICHAEL BRONNER
Award-winning writer-producer Michael Bronner began his relationship with South Africa in 2000. At that time, he was working on a Peabody Award-winning documentary for CBS’s “60 Minutes.” The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation directly approached him to write the screenplay.
Possessing a deep and vibrant institutional knowledge of Masekela’s life and values, the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation provided valuable insights to Bronner during the writing process. Bronner did extensive research for the script – including in-depth interviews with Paul Simon.
Additional story elements and research were contributed by renowned South African writer Zakes Mda, who interviewed Masekela extensively. The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation and David Dison are Executive Producers on The Road Home alongside award-winning South African broadcast journalist Siphiwo Ralo.
HILTON ROSENTHAL
Veteran music producer Hilton Rosenthal will serve as Co-Producer. He will be producing new recordings from Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba’s amazing catalogue of songs for the film’s soundtrack.
Rosenthal, who was instrumental in supporting Simon during the making of the Graceland album, has been at the center of script development. And has secured music rights to both Simon’s work and that of iconic African artists. Including the film’s protagonists, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.
PRODUCERS
The film will be produced by Academy Award-Nominated producer Laura Bickford (Traffic, Che Part 1 and Part 2, Arbitrage) for Laura Bickford Productions. Michael Bronner for Smashing Dandelions. Greg Yolen (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Good Liar) for 1000 Eyes, and Anant Singh (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Sarafina!), in association with executive producers Fiona Druckenmiller and Rob Bath.
Serving as Executive Producers will be STUDIOCANAL executives, Anna Marsh, CEO of STUDIOCANAL and Chief Content Officer of Canal+, EVP of Global Production Ron Halpern, and US Chief Creative Officer, Shana Eddy-Grouf, with Sudie Smyth leading Physical Production. Sam Shipp serves as a Creative Executive on the film.
FINANCING THE FILM
STUDIOCANAL is financing the film with Flora Films and Rob Bath. STUDIOCANAL will distribute in South Africa, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand. U.S.-based Palisades Park Pictures, backed by Ashland Hill Media Finance and helmed by CEO Tamara Birkemoe, will launch international sales for the film at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
ANNA MARSH
Anna Marsh, CEO of STUDIOCANAL and Chief Content Officer of Canal+, says:
“We are honoured to bring this South African story to the screen: a story of friendship and resistance, carried by the extraordinary journeys of Hugh Masekela and Trevor Huddleston, Miriam Makeba and Paul Simon. Our constant goal is to bring local stories to a global audience – rooted in South Africa’s identity, this story speaks far beyond its borders, showing how music can become a force for identity and change. That is also why it was essential to tell this story from within South Africa, working closely with the voices and talent that shaped it.”
BILL CONDON
Director Bill Condon adds,
“This is a powerful story about art intersecting with activism, a friction that’s only become more complex with time. I’m honoured to be a part of this extraordinary team. ”
ANANT SINGH
Anant Singh, Producer and CEO of Videovision Entertainment, says,
“Hugh Masekela, Trevor Huddleston, and Miriam Makeba were remarkable people. Hugh’s journey with Archbishop Huddleston was legendary, and it is thrilling to bring The Road Home to the big screen together with STUDIOCANAL”.
THE HUGH MASEKELA HERITAGE FOUNDATION
The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation says,
“We are proud to continue upholding the boundless legacy of our beloved Bra Hugh, who passionately founded the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation to preserve and promote African heritage and culture, and to celebrate the stories and talent of the continent. In his unforgettable variety, it was always Hugh’s intention to celebrate the role that Father Huddleston played in his life, and to celebrate the voices of South African musicians, in the liberation of our country. This film is a testament to that truth. As Bra Hugh said of his journey, ‘I’ve got to where I am in life not because of something I brought to the world, but through something I found – the wealth of African culture.’”
The Road Home begins principal photography in South Africa in June.
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