Who says opera and townships don't go together? South Africa's first feature film opera U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (Carmen in Khayelitsha ) proves exactly the contrary. Not only was it South Africa's first film to win the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha was also in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival Tous les Cinemas du Monde.

U-Carmen eKhayelitsha is a unique version of Bizet's famous opera Carmen. Using Bizet's music, the opera is sung and spoken in Xhosa- one of the eleven official languages in South Africa - and set in present day Khayelitsha, South Africa's second largest township, situated 40km outside of Cape Town.

Bizet's music was enriched with traditional South African vocal and musical elements, which makes U-Carmen eKhayelitsha a unique, thrilling and dynamic synthesis of European and South African culture, vocal tradition and identity.

Another thing that makes U-Carmen eKhayelitsha unique is the fact that a large part of the cast was recruited in townships across South Africa. It took over two thousand auditions before 40 of the best singers, actors and actresses were found. Most of them were born and bred in a township, and had never been inside a theatre. Let alone on a stage or in front of a camera.

After a few years of hard work, the time had came: The premiere of U-Carmen eKhayelitsha in March 2005 was unforgettable. The event was held in Khayelitsha, in the very same building in which the last scene of the film is shot.

After the premiere, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha opened in township venues around South Africa, before hitting the formal cinema circuit. In Khayelitsha, a month-long roll out in the same venue followed, with 1500 South Africans per day coming to see the film. An extra screening time per day was added in the last week.

It was truly thrilling to see this incredibly beautiful opera in the Oliver Tambo hall in Khayelitsha.

Although U-Carmen eKhayelitsha is off the circuit, you can enjoy this fabulous production by renting the movie or by purchasing the soundtrack, which is sung in Xhosa and recorded with a full orchestra during the production of the film.


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