The South African documentary “DO YOU
BELIEVE IN MAGIC?”, which tells the poignant coming of age story of
two young men from Cape Town in pursuit of their dreams of becoming
stage magicians, has been awarded Best Documentary at the Fourth
Annual African Academy Awards in Nigeria. “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?”,
which had its North America premiere at the Pan African Film and Arts
Festival in Los Angeles in February, was directed by Daniel Roth and
was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa as a joint production with Movie
Makers International and Jon Seidman.
“I read an article in the paper about the students, and the College of
Magic, and I just fell in love with the story,” commented the film’s
director Daniel Roth. “I set out to make a hopeful, joyful movie
about Africa and am truly thrilled that the Academy recognized the
film.”
Among the judges at this year’s African Academy Awards were African
cinema experts Ayuko Babu, founder of the Pan African Film and Arts
Festival, and Asantewe Olatunji, the festival’s general manager, who
accepted the award on behalf of the Los Angeles based filmmakers.
“We have known Daniel for several years now,” remarked Ayuko Babu. “In
fact, this is his third film that we have had the pleasure of showing
at our festival, the Pan African Film and Arts Festival. He is a
committed filmmaker with a true passion for storytelling.
For more information on the film, please visit: