[33][34], In May 2017, it was announced that production would start on a film of Jenkin's book, produced by David Barron and starring Daniel Radcliffe as Jenkin and Ian Hart as Goldberg. All Rights Reserved. The trial in the Cape Town Supreme Court went from 6 to 15 June 1978. The casting of Daniel Radcliffe as Jenkin lends it some marquee appeal, but this still feels like efficient VOD fodder, sure to age as memorably as Stander, that other blandly internationalized biographical romp pulled from the same passage of South African history. [13] Jenkin went to London at the request of the ANC in May 1976, while Lee continued to plant leaflet bombs around Johannesburg. Locked up in a maximum-security jail for leaflets against apartheid, they embarked on one of the most audacious escapes in history. They were very big locks so you could see the marks on the inside. When the night came, Denis Goldberg, a political prisoner who would serve 22 years, distracted the guards. To make this possible, they befriended another inmate, Alex Moumbaris. That last scene is about as accurate as you can make it, Jenkin says of the very real moment the escapees werent able to open the ninth and final door to freedom. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner.He was born in Egypt to Greek parents, grew up in Australia, lived and worked in the UK, was imprisoned in South Africa and now lives in France.He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local . Stephen and Tim had to open 11 doors in total, some right next to the guards' office. He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local . [16][17][18][19], They were taken to Caledon Square Police Station, the head office of the Security Branch in Cape Town, where they were separated, interrogated and put into cells, without being informed of the charges or their rights. Similarly to American Animals, the fast-paced narrative is geared toward the great moment of liberation, showing how the prisoners ended up developing their invincible strategy. "Incarcerated in Pretoria Maximum Security Prison, Jenkin and Lee - joined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbaris - decide to send the regime a clear message and escape. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Adapted from Jenkin's memoir of his time served and resourcefully cut short as a South African political prisoner in the country's darkest . As our central trio trace a taut treasure trail of keyholes and cupboards, Annans direction settles into a smooth groove of high-tension setpieces, teased out to breath-suspending effect. In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. [27] A decade later Jenkin also created Clearing Central, a 2nd tier exchange for moneyless exchange between groups. As it is, its been done cheaply and (sort of) cheerfully as an Australian production by British writer-director Francis Annan, focusing heavily on suspense mechanics as if to modestly understate its factual heft. Watch on. It was December 11, 1979, 18 months after our conviction, Stephen says. [2] Goldberg and the others decided to withdraw from the escape, with Goldberg continuing to be involved in the preparations. The leaflet bombs were effective in spreading the anti-apartheid message, Stephen says. [4], Moumbaris and Marie-Jos were caught while trying to enter South Africa from Botswana in 1972, after a previously-arrested comrade informed on them. The video features excerpts from interviews with Moumbaris, Jenkin, Lee and fellow inmate Denis Goldberg filmed in 2012, in between re-enacted scenes of the prison escape. We would spot the night warden and your heart is just pumping," said Tim. [2] However the boat had developed engine problems and had to return to Somalia. He was accused of having published, in the Press Newsletter (BIP), the article "Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) 2010", summing up the activities and successes of the BDS campaign during 2010. They had to leave it untested until the actual night of their escape, December 11, 1979 - 18 months after their conviction. As clunkily deployed in the script for Escape from Pretoria, however, the line acts as a shortcut to nobility, in a tight genre exercise that has scant time for such elaborate niceties as character development and social context. "I just took the chance and carried the parts of the key and tools we needed, a triangular file and some glue in a Thermos flask," he said. Especially the ending of the film we had to break the final door, we were hoping to pull off the ultimate escape without leaving a trace. [4] With bills to pay, he took a job as computer specialist with a subsidiary of the Socit Gnrale and became a shop steward for the Confdration Gnrale du Travail (CGT). [9] When an escape committee of three prisoners was set up, Moumbaris (and not Jenkin or Lee) was selected as he was "the most vociferous" and a good negotiator. In 1997, he became a director of Unwembi Communications (Pty) Ltd.[7], Around the turn of the millennium Jenkin co-founded the Community Exchange System, an internet-based moneyless exchange for local communities, comparable to LETS, writing the entirety of its software. But we got away with it. It was a little noise that promised a big prize freedom. "We were right underneath an armed guard but he didnt see us. As he says, for me its just like going to the movies. They caught us with printing equipment. On 30 December they were flown to Zambia, where they were accommodated under armed guard in Lusaka and their presence was officially announced by the ANC in early January 1980. He signalled his wish to be included in any possible escape plan to Jenkin even before the idea was presented to him, after Jenkin had mentioned he and Lee had brought some money into prison. The fact that they were all in prison for their political activities and beliefs united them, and "as members of a revolutionary organisation [they] were disciplined and shared in [their] suffering collectively". [20] After a spell in the notorious John Vorster Square in Johannesburg, they were returned to Cape Town and after four weeks, allowed to see family, and held at Pollsmoor Prison as they awaited trial. Escape From Pretoria is in cinemas Friday. Select Your Cookie Preferences. [22], After their incarceration, Jenkin, Lee and several other inmates began plotting an escape, which would involve copies of several prison keys that Jenkin made from wood. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis. Again Tims ingenuity was tested. Escape from Pretoria: Directed by Francis Annan. In prison they met Denis Goldberg and on Alexandre Moumbaris - not on Leonard Fontaine. While the first step toward freedom might have been exhilarating, it was far from their most momentous achievement. Rent EGP 29.99 Buy EGP 149.99 Trailers Trailer 14+ COMMON SENSE why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoriavsters friluftsomrde. Despite the feature film makeover, there is no embellishment of Jenkins recollection in the script, based on his 2003 bookInside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison. [2] He started associating with African National Congress (ANC) exiles and beginning in 1967, he travelled in and out of South Africa transporting literature for the movement. Jenkin and Leejoined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbarisdecide to send the regime a clear message and escape. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Using an ingenious homemade wooden key attached, like a crankshaft, to the end of a broomstick, Tim had just got through his outer cell door. . We use cookies and similar tools that are . La historia del activista sudafricano Tim Jenkin inspira Fuga de Pretoria, . [21], In May 2011, Moumbaris was charged with making a "Public call to discrimination" and set to appear in court in Flers, in Normandy. On 9 January Moumbaris left for France and was welcomed upon arrival in Paris by Marie-Jos (whom he had not seen for seven years), his mother, 7-year-old son Boris, and many friends and well-wishers. folktandvrden karlskoga flyttar . "We had to make the key under the noses of the guardsmen. The system was never cracked and helped the ANC coordinate in the run up to Nelson Mandela's release from prison. Escape from Pretoria airs on Saturday, 4 July, at 20:00 on TNT (DStv 137) We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. Australian actor and former elite cyclist Nathan Page, best known internationally for his nuanced portrayal of Detective Inspector Jack Robinson in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012), was born into an air force family in Perth on 25 August 1971. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Tim was inspired by the book Papillon later made into a film starring Dustin Hoffman about a French convicts escape from a jungle island. Following the. The pair were initially kept in solitary confinement for a month before being charged with political "terrorism" in a trial in June 1978. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School, matriculating aged 17. They would contain simple messages, urging people to support the liberation movement. But of course if you continue doing something long enough, you will make mistakes. The prison, constructed from stone and steel, had gone down in prisoner folklore as being a fortress from which no one could ever hope to escape. [18], From there they were flown to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, accompanied by MK commander, Joe Modise. Its surprising that its taken this long to reach the screen, given how sveltely his gripping story fits into a genre-film uniform. Recalling their rather more successful attempt, Stephen explained: The sense of freedom was amazing. But, as Tim noted, they were escaping from an imprisonment they never deserved. [21], Along with Lee, Jenkin was charged with "producing and distributing 18 different pamphlets on behalf of banned organisations" including the South African Communist Party, the ANC and its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, from 1975 to 1978, and urging people to join the liberation movement. When youre making it the lock is right there, you keep filing it until it fits in the holes. Lee moved back to Cape Town in December after enrolling in a master's degree in sociology, and the two continued their undercover work, but unbeknownst to them they were by this time under surveillance by the Security Branch of the South African Police. : National speaking tour with Tim Jenkin and Karel Boele", "Award for Excellence in the Field of Humanitarian Service", "Daniel Radcliffe touches down in Adelaide for new movie", "Revolutionary Secrets: Technology's Role in the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement", "Sam Neill joins Daniel Radcliffe in 'Escape From Pretoria', "Ch. [22], In 2013, the story of the prison escape was dramatised in the 7th episode of the 2nd season of Breakout, a television series made by National Geographic TV channel dramatising real-life prison escapes. "You are the white Mandela," says a ham-faced warden, all but spitting in the face of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin upon his arrival at Pretoria Local Prison in 1978. [5] He later wrote that he had "grown up a 'normal' complacent white South African" who "unthinkingly accepted the system and for twenty-one years never questioned it". It was hugely emotional, Stephen recalls. The jaw-dropping story of how two men broke out of the infamous maximum-security Pretoria Prison - and eventually on to the UK - has been given the Hollywood treatment in new blockbuster 'Escape From Pretoria', starring Daniel Radcliffe as Tim. Years, distracted the guards cracked and helped the ANC coordinate in the run up to Nelson Mandela 's from! Trailers Trailer 14+ COMMON SENSE why is Alex Moumbaris not in escape from a jungle.! 2 ] However the boat had developed engine problems and had to make this possible, they befriended another,! Make this possible, they were very big locks so you could see the marks on the.. Tim had to open 11 doors in total, some right next to the guards commander, Joe.. 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