Faan se Trein

Sunday, April 12, 7 p.m.
All films at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodward’s

We at VSAFF are delighted to continue our tradition of closing the festival with an Afrikaans language film — and Faan se Trein is the best one yet!  Hilariously funny, hauntingly tender, deeply human and endearing, Faan se Trein is propelled by outstanding performances — notably from Willie Esterhuizen and Nicola Hanekom.

Faan lives in the Karoo with his father and housekeeper. He’s a little slow and a little confused, but for the most part he’s harmless, except when he’s being teased by the local school boys. During the last teasing episode Faan accidentally runs into the Doctor’s wife, Beatrice, who was raised in Pretoria, but now lives in this one horse town – the result of a secret she and her husband need to hide.

Beatrice doesn’t even know he exists, until she discovers that Faan and his father own antiques passed down in the family for years. Beatrice plots to get her hands on the goods, manipulating the simple minded Faan to do her will.

Excellent English subtitles.

Facebook Page | Watch the Trailer

Rating: TBA
Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes
Director: Koos Roets
Producers: Helena Spring, Derek White, Cecil Barry

What The Critics Are Saying

“Nobody sets a foot wrong in this ensemble cast.”
— THE CITIZEN

“Faan se Trein is as South African as koeksisters, pap and wors and Karoo lamb.”
— Willie Esterhuizen

“Roets has assembled one of the finest dramatic casts South Africa has to offer to bring this haunting, character-driven story to screen … the story’s unpredictable nature and vivid re-imagining, turn a dusty Karoo village into a minefield of emotion.”
— SPLING

Thank You To Our Film Sponsors

The Able & Helen Bloch Memorial Fund

The Vancouver Foreign Film Society