Just hours before the world heard the news of Nelson Mandela's death, the film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" made its European premiere in London. Prince William and Kate Middleton were there, to see a movie that attempts to capture the impact Mandela made in the UK, and his status as a global icon.
Prince William and Kate Middleton making their grand entrance at the red carpet pageant. All money raised from the premiere will go to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, a charity established to protect, nurture and enrich the lives of vulnerable children in South Africa. The film traces the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela, from a buoyant and visionary youngster fighting for racial equality, to becoming a national father figure for South Africa. Adapted from the 1994 autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom", it took writer William Nicholson many years to finally tell the story.
"We have been through many, many draft.....there aren’t many movies that do that." William Nicholson, writer of Mandela: Long walk to freedom, said.
The man who made the film possible is Anant Singh, a good friend of Mandela. The pre-eminent South African film producer says the long wait has all been worthwhile.
British actors Idris Elba and Naomie Harris play Mandela and his wife Winnie.
For both of them, it was essential to capture the true essence of the people they were playing.
Idris Elba has won much critical acclaim for the role. To get a clearer idea of what Mandela suffered in prison, Elba even spent a night at Robben Island, where Mandela was held for 19 years.
"Robben Island is a.....it gave me contacts of what it was like in Robben Island." Actor of Idris Elba said.
“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” has already broken South African box office records, becoming the country’s highest grossing picture after its opening last week.