Its surprising that its taken this long to reach the screen, given how sveltely his gripping story fits into a genre-film uniform. It was hugely emotional. [6], At the end of 1970 Jenkin enrolled at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science degree at the end of 1973. The leaflet bombs were effective in spreading the anti-apartheid message, Stephen says. 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Escape from Pretoria makes an ideal everyman out of Daniel Radcliffe The actor plays Tim Jenkin, a real-life political prisoner during apartheid-era South Africa, who made a daring escape in 1979 In February 1974, Jenkin and Lee left the country in order to join the ANC in London, with the intention of helping to bring about change in South Africa. [39], Harry Potter of Jailbreaking: Tim Jenkin on Freedom, first fully democratic elections in South Africa, "Talking to Vula: The Story of the Secret Underground Communications Network of Operation Vula", "Press Conference by O. R. Tambo, Introducing Alexandre Moumbaris, Stephen Lee and Timothy Jenkin who Escaped from Prison in South Africa", "Should communities be able to design their own currencies? In the 1990s he and others created an association dedicated to the memory of Joseph Stalin, later dissolved but re-formed, for his role in creating socialism, with free health and education. It was suspected South African agents may have raided the home for documents to use in Moumbaris' trial. So I wouldnt say its embellished at all, its quite accurate, he explains. After leaving . The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. At night there were dogs in the yard.. Given the limited backstory filled in by Annan and L.H. When youre making it the lock is right there, you keep filing it until it fits in the holes. Together with his co-writers L.H. Jenkin worked as a researcher for the Institute for Social Development at the University of the Western Cape, a university for South Africans of mixed racial ancestry, or Coloureds. Distractify is a registered trademark. On arrival at Pretoria, a jail for white political prisoners, both men were so focused on escaping they even asked relatives to smuggle in money for taxi fares once they broke out. This movie is based on the book written by Jenkin himself and because of the Escape from Pretoria feels very personal and up-close. He lived and worked in UK and later moved to South Africa. [23], In December 1979,[7] Jenkin, Lee and fellow inmate Alex Moumbaris[24][17] broke out of Pretoria Central Prison using handmade keys to ten of the doors leading out of the prison, after several hair-raising moments when encountering unforeseen obstacles. "We were right underneath an armed guard but he didnt see us. He returned to France after his escape. We had to make these parts under the noses of the guards. The prison, constructed from stone and steel, had gone down in prisoner folklore as being a fortress from which no one could ever hope to escape. Once the key was ready to go, they had to work out how to get the door open without the guards noticing. There has only been one successful prison break since. We walked out as if we had every right to be there.". They would contain simple messages, urging people to support the liberation movement. We walked out as if we had every right to be there. Lying on his bunk one night, he gazed at the lock in front of him and had a flash of inspiration. Stephen began to experiment with wooden keys the exact replicas used by prison guards during his compulsory shifts at the prison's wood workshop. While their revolutionary deeds helped to change the course of history, their prison escape was that which garnered them real fame. After acceptance by the ANC, he and Lee received training from the ANC in various tactics, in particular how to spread their propaganda leaflets, and how to set up communication and financial structures. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. Submitted by Mary Christine Part 1: Intro Part 2: The wasteland Part 3: Societal collapse Part 4: Final outcome Part 5: Doing good 2. Adams workaday screenplay, the actors signature anxious-earnest mien is leaned on a lot here, as is his overly explanatory voiceover, which provides a broad primer on apartheid for any uninformed viewers, along with a reminder that freedom and equality should be fought for at all costs.. He's best known as the anti-apartheid activist who. In an area called "The Pot", therewas a legendary gallows where seven could be hung at once. Jenkins book of the same title was published in 1987, when he was still living as a fugitive from nominal justice in London. [8] He and Lee went on a speaking tour in Sweden in the early 1980s. . Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner.He was born in Egypt to Greek parents, grew up in Australia, lived and worked in the UK, was imprisoned in South Africa and now lives in France.He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local . Jenkin and Lee - joined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbaris - decide to send the regime a clear message and escape. Escape from Pretoria at IMDb "20 Films That Starred 3 Or More Harry Potter Actors". Jenkin and Lee, furious about being imprisoned for their thoughts, wanted to escape to prove to the world their differences, and of course, to fight for democracy in their country. Lee moved back to Cape Town in December after enrolling in a master's degree in sociology, and the two continued their undercover work, but unbeknownst to them they were by this time under surveillance by the Security Branch of the South African Police. Timothy Peter Jenkin (born 1948) is a South African writer, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. [14] He afterwards said the prison was "luxury" compared to French prison. I still have it in my toolbox and still use it as a normal tool. I felt so elated.". He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. Its reputation as a hellhole jail remains, and these days it houses - among 7,000 inmates - none other than disgraced Olympic champion Oscar Pistorius. He continued: [It was] the only thing we managed to keep; we got rid of the all the keys immediately, but for some reason we kept thatprobably as a weapon. [25][26] Filming of Escape from Pretoria began in Adelaide, South Australia, in March 2019, with Daniel Webber joining the cast as Lee. He signalled his wish to be included in any possible escape plan to Jenkin even before the idea was presented to him, after Jenkin had mentioned he and Lee had brought some money into prison. Based on the real-life prison break of two political captives, Escape From Pretoria is a race-against-time thriller set in the tumultuous apartheid days of South Africa. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria. Francis Annan, a young and gifted British director, had hoped his debut film would be seen on the big screen. Similarly to American Animals, the fast-paced narrative is geared toward the great moment of liberation, showing how the prisoners ended up developing their invincible strategy. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. The moment we heard the knocking on the door, we knew that was it, Tim told The Times. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. The jaw-dropping story of how two men broke out of the infamous maximum-security Pretoria Prison - and eventually on to the UK - has been given the Hollywood treatment in new blockbuster 'Escape From Pretoria', starring Daniel Radcliffe as Tim. There was an effort to rebuild the armed wing known as Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and a plan was hatched by Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo and/or Moses Mabhida, with the help of the South African Communist Party[2] to land 25 combatants plus arms via a boat previously purchased by the ANC, the Adventurer (or Avventura[4]), on the Transkei coast via the Indian Ocean from Somalia. Lee worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, while Jenkin ran the "cell" on his own in Cape Town. Tim was inspired by the book Papillon later made into a film starring Dustin Hoffman about a French convicts escape from a jungle island. It was December 11, 1979, 18 months after our conviction, Stephen says. [24], In May 2017, it was announced production would start on a film of Jenkin's book, produced by David Barron and starring Daniel Radcliffe as Jenkin and Ian Hart as Goldberg. Shooting on location in Adelaide, Australia a handsome but none-too-convincing stand-in for the South African highveld in exterior scenes DP Geoffrey Hall keeps the camera moves antsy but not fussy. Home Office Minister Mark Carlisle said no evidence had been found at that time of South African responsibility for illegal activities, but appropriate action would be taken should it appear. After a few tries, he managed to get the key to the right position and the door opened. Escape from Pretoria airs on Saturday, 4 July, at 20:00 on TNT (DStv 137) We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. 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