Filmmaker Statement

I’m from South Africa, and so I grew up in a post-democratic country where sport has played a pivotal political role in the shaping of ideas of nationhood and identity. Drummies in particular is interesting, as it emerged in the late 20s and was one of the few racially integrated school sports to exist throughout apartheid. Today, Drummies is a high-stakes sports in our country. Young girls basically give up their lives to compete in this sport. However, due to its glitzy performance orientated veneer, the sport is often taken less seriously than other male-dominated, more stereotypically “masculine” looking sports. I was really fascinated by this dichotomy of a glitzy exterior, versus an interior world that is filled with blood, sweat and tears, and years of hard work, discipline and dedication. As a Dilmmaker who is also interested in stories surrounding girlhood, and coming of age stories, I felt that “Drummies” was the perfect intersection of some of my interests as a storyteller.