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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: Hollywood abuzz at South African sci-fi film AFP - Sunday, August 9 LOS ANGELES (AFP) - - Hollywood is buzzing with excitement about South African director Neill Blomkamp's debut film "District 9," a science-fiction thriller about aliens segregated in a Johannesburg township. ADVERTISEMENT The movie -- about the struggles of insect-like extra-terrestrial refugees as they try to settle on Earth amongst hostile humans -- has garnered glowing reviews ahead of its North American release on August 14. Produced by Oscar-winning "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson, Blomkamp's film arose from the ashes of plans to adapt smash hit video-game "Halo" for the big screen. Yet while the film's setting is a futuristic parallel universe, the story is unmistakably rooted in South Africa's recent bloody history of apartheid and anti-immigrant social unrest. Vancouver-based Blomkamp, 29, acknowledges said that despite the symbolism of "District 9," he had not set out to make a "political" film. "I was aware that I didn't want to make a film that sounded overly political and that the audience would find really draining," Blomkamp told reporters at a press event in Los Angeles. "But I knew that I wanted the essence of South Africa to be captured and the essence of segregation and pure racism kind of hit it head on, because that was the environment where I grew up in. "So there was a fine balance between these many analogies of apartheid and these many analogies of the white government and oppression." Early reviews of "District 9" suggest Blomkamp has pulled off that balancing act -- Internet film review aggregator Rottentomatoes.com has given the movie a perfect 100 percent rating. The Hollywood Reporter hailed the movie as a "genuinely original science fiction film that grabs you immediately, not letting go until the final shot." The film's central character, Wikus van der Merwe, played by South African Sharlto Copley, is an employee of a private security firm attempting to unravel the mysteries of the aliens' weapons systems, which can only be unlocked with alien DNA. When Wikus is infected by an alien virus that begins to change his human DNA, the hunter becomes the hunted and he is forced to seek refuge among the extra-terrestrials in their Soweto-like ghetto, District 9. Blomkamp said Johannesburg was the logical setting for the film, doubting it could have been made anywhere else. "I think it would be incredibly difficult to replicate what we have in Johannesburg," he said. "There is so much visual detail here, the dirt or barbed wire or weeds, it's incredibly rich visually. For the film to work, I think you need this level of reality and this level of pollution and realness." New Zealand film-maker Jackson meanwhile said that Blomkamp's South African identity had allowed him to "bring a unique perspective" to the story. Jackson and Blomkamp first worked together during planning for a possible film version of Microsoft's XBox console hit "Halo." Blomkamp had impressed Jackson with a short 2005 film "Alive in Joburg," which first presented the concept on which District 9 is based. "I flew down to New Zealand to meet Pete and he signed off on me for 'Halo'; we started to make 'Halo' and then 'Halo' collapsed," Blomkamp recalled. "I was getting ready to move back to Vancouver and then he and Fran Walsh said 'Why don't you just stay here and we can try another film? Let's use the momentum you created in Halo and just keep it going and start something new.' "That sounded like a good idea to me. So they kind of allowed this new film to happen and let me make it, which was awesome for me." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: Hollywood Hollywood abuzz at South African sci-fi filmAFP - Sunday, August 9 Grammer says heart attack gave him chance to "re-tool"Reuters - Sunday, August 9 Taiwan's Jay Chou goes to Hollywood: reportAFP - Sunday, August 9 Taiwan's Chou cast as Kato in 'Green Hornet'AP - Saturday, August 8 Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle Hollywood abuzz at South African sci-fi filmAFP - Sunday, August 9 ABC puts faith in ambitious programmingReuters - Sunday, August 9 Snowin' in the Wind? Dylan Christmas album dueReuters - Sunday, August 9 Gary Sinise headlines free concert in Denver parkAP - Sunday, August 9 Report: Jackson kids' godfather claims paternityAP - Sunday, August 9 Enlarge Photo Producer Peter Jackson, actor Sharlto Copley and writer/director Neill Blomkamp take part in a panel discussion on the movie "District 9" at Comic-Con 2009 in July in San Diego, California. Hollywood is buzzing with excitement about South African director Blomkamp's debut film, a science-fiction thriller about aliens segregated in a Johannesburg township. Related Photos Slideshow Hollywood Related Full Coverage Hollywood News Get the latest Hollywood news All Full Coverage Most Popular – Entertainment Viewed Scientists decode HIV genome structure: study Manson murders back in spotlight 40 years on Taiwan's Jay Chou goes to Hollywood: report Explosions at besieged 'terror hideout' in Indonesia Three new bank failures bring to 72 number of collapsed US banks View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

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