In the midst of the Covid-19 global pandemic, 38 year old actor, musician and writer Lukhanyo Bele wrote and directed what is likely to be an African first – a comedy feature film virtually made in quarantine.
Whilst in Austria, Bele gathered a cast of brilliant European and South African actors, including renowned actress Andrea Dondolo, to star in a comedy feature film, The Ground Under, which documents current reality of living under lockdown in the most cackle-worthy manner.
The cast captured everything themselves, in their own homes, creatively using their own gadgets and internet to connect to each other and the crew, making this one of the most cost effective films ever – an innovative concept that could inspire diversity in the landscape of film production and make it easier for upcoming filmmakers to get started without needing ample resources.
“The film scripts were not ready from inception, I wrote them in installments and everything blended so perfectly in the end”, said Bele.
Growing up, Lukhanyo Bele used to sing in church choirs and participated in school theatre groups which is where he developed his love for performing arts. In 2000, Bele joined New Africa Theatre Association as a performing arts student and graduated with NQF Level 5. From there, he went on to play in a couple of theatre shows as well as movies and TV productions both in South Africa and abroad.
Bele had his first nomination as an actor in Mpumalanga for a school touring play The Island and The Apple Box directed by Ina Bruce, where he portrayed Robert Sobukwe. Bele made his television debut on an eTV series Shooting Stars, where he portrayed Zakes Moloto, a son of a rich football club owner played by Timmy Khwebulana.
Later on, he appeared in Leon Schuster’s Mama Jack as a street vendor. From there Bele starred in a number of movies including the latest Micheal Bay’s Netflix 6 Underground and Artscape acclaimed Xhosa play Amaza directed by Thoko Ntshinga.
After getting international recognition in theatre, Bele was asked to lead a cast at the Freiburg Theatre in Germany where he played Ken Saro Wiwa, a Nigerian activist amongst other roles.
In 2020 Lukhanyo Bele did not only open his production company ‘Grounded Production’ but he also made his writing and directing debut when he created The Ground Under. The Ground Under is currently in post-production and set to premiere in the last quarter of this year. For the film updates, teasers and more, please follow The Ground Under on Facebook, @thegroundunder_official and @Officialluks on Instagram.
