The Road Less Cycled

Nathan Rice, South Africa, 2019

90 minutes, Zulu with English subtitles

In a small rural town in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Philani (27) works a dead-end job, living under the shadow of his brother who is a professional soccer player. When Philani draws the attention of a professional cycling team, he is invited to join them at a race about 300 kilometers away. With no means of getting there on his own and no resources, it’s inevitable that he has to find a bicycle and ride there himself. He steals his boss’s bike and rides off alone against the will of his widowed mother. Philani goes through many trials along his four-day journey, having to find places to stay overnight and hustle for food. Everywhere he goes he rejects people’s help, until his false pride leads him into a situation he can’t get himself out of.

DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Nathan Rice has been passionately making films since the age of 12. He achieved a BA in Film Directing and Screenwriting from AFDA Durban. His graduation film Homeless was shortlisted for the Student Academy Awards and has also been selected in several festivals around the world, including Shnit and FICMEC where it won the Best Film award. Nathan has gone on to direct music videos (All About It by Jimmy Nevis & Sketchy Bongo), commercials and short films. He currently has his own production company, Untitled Entertainment, where he develops and produces film content.

DIFF 2023

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