NOBODY'S DIED LAUGHING: A JOURNEY WITH PIETER-DIRK UYS Hits Cinemas from 29 July

kykNET films and Vry Films in association with Lion's Head Productions and Who Projects are proud to announce the release of NOBODY'S DIED LAUGHING: A JOURNEY WITH PIETER-DIRK UYS , a theatrical-action-documentary that celebrates the life and work of performing artist and activist Pieter-Dirk Uys.

In NOBODY'S DIED LAUGHING, a film crew tries to keep up with one of the hardest working artists in South Africa on a journey from Cape Town through Johannesburg, Grahamstown, Stellenbosch, London and Berlin to his home in Darling. The film takes a closer look at the man behind all the famous characters, the humanitarian and his educational AIDS awareness work, for which he has received international acclaim.

Written and directed by Willem Oelofsen, NOBODY'S DIED LAUGHING is edited by Geoffrey Butler. With a score is by Josh Wynter, the film features a special song written and performed by Jack Parowm "Rebel Till He's Dead". Filmmaker Oelofsen explains his vision for the film:

This film captures a man and a lifetime commitment to a country by using satire to affect change. I started researching Pieter-Dirk Uys in 2014 and spent time with him in his personal archives in Darling. I found it fascinating that after 50 years in the entertainment industry he was still working at the same pace and with the same vigour as when he started. In 2015, we simply picked up a camera and started following him around wherever he went: performing in Berlin or the Cape Flats, and watching him teach a room full of teenagers about safe sex. I believe audiences will be intrigued to experience more about the man who refuses to be silenced while using the arts as his weapon against discrimination and confronting intolerance.

The film also includes never before seen archive footage, performances and interviews with Desmond Tutu, Charlize Theron, Lizz Meiring, Anna-Mart van der Merwe, FW De Klerk, Janet Suzman, Thoko Ntshinga, David Kramer, Zolani Mahola, Vincent Ebrahim, Professor David Gere, Eric Abraham, Sophia Loren, Jonathan Shapiro and many more, with footage of Tessa Uys and Nelson Mandela.

NOBODY'S DIED LAUGHING will be screened at the Ster-Kinekor, NuMetro and Independent movie theatres. At Ster-Kinekor, the film will be screened at Tyger Valley in Durbanville/Belville, the Eikestad Mall in Stellenbosch, Cinema Nouveau at the V&A Waterfront, the Mimosa Mall in Bloemfontein, the Gateway Nouveau in Durban, the Brooklyn Nouveau in Pretoria and the Rosebank Nouveau in Johannesburg, with advance online bookings through the Ster-Kinekor website. Nu Metro screens include Walmer Park Shopping Centre in Port Elizabeth, Hyde Park in Johannesburg and Woodlands in Pretoria, with advance online bookings through the Nu Metro website. The Labia Movie Theatre in Cape Town will also screen the film, with tickets available at the cinema itself.

Uys and Oelofsen will attend selected screenings at the Gateway Nouveau and Walmer Park Shopping Centre on 29 July, at the Brooklyn Nouveau and Rosebank Nouveau on 30 July and at Tyger Valley, the Eikestad Mall and the Labia on 31 July.

Fans can follow the conversations about the film on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The trailer for the film can be viewed below:

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