Gravel Road Secures Global Rights to Darrell Roodt’s ‘Greytown Girl’

Gravel Road Distribution Group, along with producer Rani Sitaram, have acquired the worldwide distribution rights to Greytown Girl, a romantic drama set in apartheid South Africa from Oscar-nominated director Darrell Roodt (“Yesterday”).

The film tells the true story of a small town South African girl, Meena, who was born with physical disabilities and was abandoned as a baby. Through her personal courage, she is able to build a better life for herself, even as her journey of self-realization and self-love unfolds against the dramatic backdrop of apartheid South Africa’s journey to the first democratic elections.

“What I love most about ‘Greytown Girl’ is its authenticity. You can hear the characters come to life on every page,” said Roodt. “That’s because Meena’s story is a true story, and so are the characters in it. They are steeped in culture, which offers depth and richness beyond the image.”

“I have chosen to partner with a distributor that has a proven track record of supporting diverse voices and supporting the feminine, which will give the films lasting success in the market,” said producer Rani Sitaram, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rose Cortes. “Gravel Road is the leading distributor on the continent and a beautiful story like Greytown Girl deserves the best team.”

Benjamin Cowley, CEO of Gravel Road Distribution Group, added, “With powerful themes of resilience, fear, courage, sisterhood, sacrifice, self-identity and empowerment and discrimination, ‘Greytown Girl’ will have broad global appeal, particularly among female audiences. I look forward to taking this world-class local production to the world.”

Casting for the film, which will feature a multiracial cast, is ongoing. Production is scheduled to begin in July 2022, with theatrical and VOD release planned for 2023. Gravel Road will manage international sales as well as distribution across Africa.