Act of Kindness

I never knew what the hell I was going to do if it just fizzled and I made no progress. But it always felt to me like a story worth telling, and that the power of the story might just be enough to drive the fates towards some sort of ending.

– Sven Pannell on his search for a Rwandan named Johnson

He was a good kind soul. He never showed signs of frustration, boredom or annoyance with me. Putting up with that crazy search, and all the silly leads. His and my humour got us through.

– Sven Parnell, on local 'fixer' and cameraman Fabrice Kirwa

Everyday, Johnson would go out and beg, and he'd come back at night and give me half of his earnings so that we could buy dinner.

– Sven Parnell on the kindness of Johnson, the man who helped him in Rwanda

...I think people are going to like it if early indications are any clue. The pleasure of the audience is proportional to the suffering of the artist, and we’ve gone through plenty on this one.

– Co-director Costa Botes

I did what I should have done at the start. I just sat down with Sven’s footage and started editing. It had always seemed like such a dauntingly complicated thing, but I had this little epiphany where I saw the simplicity of it ... It was probably the most complex bit of editing I’ve ever done, but I hope it doesn’t look like it.

– Editor and co-director Costa Botes

I always felt Sven’s story was inspiring and important and this far outweighed any technical imperfections. He took heart from my confidence and let me get on with it. But I always wanted his authorship to be clear. I think we helped each other and were a good team.

– Co-director Costa Botes on working with co-director Sven Pannell

it would have been patently unfair to take a solo directing credit. Sven was the physical director of “Act of Kindness.” I saw my role as a combo of mid-wife, steward, and chef. I didn’t create the ingredients, but I was responsible for the outcome.

– Co-director Costa Botes on working with Sven Pannell