Elani Dekker and her fiancé, Stiaan Smith, embarked on an epic travel adventure to bring their movie, “Die Bloedhonde”, to the small screen.
The “Silverton Siege” actress and Smith spent three years travelling South Africa, a time they refer to as a period of self-discovery and deep reflection.
After their unforgettable van life travels, Smith, who is renowned for Saftas-winning series “Hotel”, wrote the film for Dekker.
It centres on a murder mystery in a conservative community and is streaming on Showmax.
Dekker stars as Katrien, who, during a camping trip with her family, begins to suspect that the beloved dominee (played by Tobie Cronjé) might be responsible for an apparent suicide at the resort.
With a middle-aged drifter, Jasper (played by Waldemar Schultz), as the only person who believes her, the pair are determined to prove the church, the community and her family wrong.
“I was there since the inception of the film and contributed to the story and character development from a very early stage, so, it just felt right for me to step up and accept the challenge of being Katrien,” Dekker explained.
On their travels, she added: “It was amazing and it was such a privilege to have been able to explore our beautiful country and actually live in different parts of it.
“The camping milieu definitely contributed to the story and quite a few names of the characters are names of real people we met while long-term camping – it’s a kind of homage to them and the camping culture in our country.”
After years of working on this production, she is thrilled that it has finally been released.
“It’s always a bit surreal when a film is released and I have to remind myself that it will resonate with some and not with others, and that’s okay.
“I feel incredibly proud of ‘Die Bloedhonde’, especially with what my wonderful partner, Stiaan, managed to convey through the story and message of this film.”
Dekker said people from all walks of life will resonate with the movie because it was packed with universal themes, one of them being finding the most suitable way to respect your own truths.
“I'd love for audience members to consider whether there is such a thing as a bad guy who is just intrinsically evil or whether we're all just trying to survive and feel safe.
“The murder mystery revolves around who the enemy or bad guy is. This is one of my favourite themes of the movie.”
“Die Bloedhonde” also touches on challenging family dynamics.
“Katrien has to learn how to accept herself and her family members just the way they are and reconsider her need to change them and their options.
“We all have some form of family and it’s inevitable that we won't always agree with them.”
Dekker said she could also relate to a few of the characters’ viewpoints.
“I was challenged to make space for those I don't agree with. I feel like Stiaan has created deeply authentic personalities and I trust that viewers will also find a mirror of society in this story and its characters.”
The actress said that working on this production was different from anything else she has been a part of before.
“This was the first project that I got to be a part of from the very beginning of its creation and it's quite a personal story for me.
“I’ve often felt like the odd one out, who views life very differently from my close family members. For that reason, it will always be a special project for me.”
But Dekker’s role was not without challenges.
“Playing the character of Katrien, especially in terms of her driven, frustrated energy, was very daunting for me at first because it’s very far removed from my personality but like most difficult experiences, it ended up being the most rewarding or fulfilling aspect of the project for me.”
She was also thrilled to work alongside Smith.
“It was an incredible adventure. We laughed a lot, we cried a lot and we grew a lot.
“It's such a privilege to have gone through this kind of creative process with my best friend and teammate in life.”