A motley crew of musicians decide to rob a bank during the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival in an attempt to save their indebted nightclub. The umbrella men is a comedy about hijacker robbery in Bo-Kaap that will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022.
In the lead The umbrella men are Abduragman Adams, Omar Adams, Irshaad Ally, Keenan Arrison, Jacques De Silva, and more. It is directed by John Barker, who co-wrote with Lev David and Philip Roberts. The music for the film was written by South African jazz pianist Kyle Shepard.
Keenan Arrison and Jacques De Silva on The Umbrella Men
“It was such an honor to be cast in the film and be a part of it,” said Arrison, “it’s a great team. The casting process was quite long for me, and I think John can help with that.” but I was initially part of the teaser, a proof of concept, about 14 years ago, and to see how the form of the script has evolved so far was mind-boggling to me, and then to see what the final product was… it’s something to be proud of, also as someone from Cape Town, to be able to shoot in your hometown and tell a story from that point of view, as someone who grew up like this community is actually a character The setting just becomes part of this movie. I think this is what we live for as actors… I think it was an all round winning team, a dream team if you will, that John put together.”
“In terms of working with a director who invites you into his world…who says it’s about really making the line for us and then playing, that was an absolute privilege,” Silva added. “The story is told from the perspective of a marginalized community in South Africa, so there are many Africans who find this story instructive. I felt like I could make an impact, like I could make tangible change. And to see the magnitude of that in the film was amazing.”
John Barker on the evolution of The Umbrella Men
As Arrison had said, he was part of The umbrella gentlemen teaser about 14 years ago and could see the script going through several iterations to the final product today.
“Like Keenan said, he was younger than he is now 14 years ago… but as time goes by, the world has changed. I realized that the whole movie was too male dominated. They were just guys in the form and in the tunnels,” said Barker, explaining the reason for many of the changes. “Keenan’s role actually passed to one of the lead actors. So when he was young, he was an up and coming actor. And I was really impressed with what he did. But as time went on, he’s done a great job, he’s now become a superstar. So it was great to see him evolve into someone who carries the film for us.”
“Everyone we worked with 14 years ago had a role to play. And that was so cool, that John maintained those relationships over the years. And it’s all about timing. I think the time was right… John was so persistent and knew exactly what he wanted. He knew the story he wanted to tell, and I think it’s pretty clear from what you see on the screen,” Arrison added.
Representation and The Umbrella Men
As Silva had said, The umbrella men captures the culture of a marginalized community and has served as an educational tool for the public. This has been noted in reviews in South Africa, as The Sunday Times wrote that “Barker has beautifully captured a marginalized and often misrepresented culture through ‘African’ phrases, nuances and humor.”
“We as a community, the story is generally that we are thieves and drunks and vagabonds, and there are cultural reasons why, going back to slavery and all these things that have created social problems that now seem almost endemic. And so when we get to the screen, that’s the audition I’m going for. So to have a story that’s our story told from the perspective of the people in community, who support each other and fight for each other, to be able to show that array of nuances is incredibly special. I think that’s the most important education… I hope this is the kind of story that can bring people together. The diversity of Africa and today’s world,” says Silva.
“I think the most important thing I would like is for the public to take a taste and a piece to Cape Town or South Africa. What you see on screen is really authentic and very well represented on screen in terms of the people of that community. The kind of family unit that exists within this culture, and within the city itself. I’d like them to hear the music because the soundtrack itself, it’s the sound of Cape Town,” Arrison added.
The umbrella men is a production of Known Associates Entertainment and A Barking Rat Film.