South African Thriller ‘Third Wheel’ Presented at Fantasia’s Frontières Market
7 reported
South Africa’s Totem Zea and Dutch production company PRPL are teaming on “Third Wheel,” a psychological thriller presented at Fantasia’s Frontières Co-Production Market. The film is directed by Zoe Ramushu, whose short “It Takes a Circus” was nominated for the 48th Student Academy Awards. The project is produced by Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt at Totem Zea and by Netherlands-based PRPL, headed by CEO Ellen Havenith. “Third Wheel” follows Thina, a 26-year-old Black surgeon adopted by a white family, as she prepares for her wedding at a Drakensberg mountain estate. Ramushu described the film as an allegory for post-colonial Africa, exploring themes of adoption and power dynamics. The film is set to shoot in 2027 and has received funding from the Thuthuka Co-Development Fund.
What’s reported
“Third Wheel” is a psychological thriller co-produced by South Africa’s Totem Zea and Dutch company PRPL.
The film is directed by Zoe Ramushu, whose short “It Takes a Circus” was nominated for the 48th Student Academy Awards.
Producers are Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt (Totem Zea) and PRPL, headed by CEO Ellen Havenith.
The story centers on Thina, a 26-year-old Black surgeon adopted by a white family, at her wedding weekend.
Ramushu called the film “an allegory for post-colonial Africa.”
The project received development and production funding from the Thuthuka Co-Development Fund, a joint program between South Africa’s NFVF and the Netherlands Film Fund.
The film is scheduled to shoot in 2027.
Key figures
Zoe Ramushu, director and writer
Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt, producer at Totem Zea
Ellen Havenith, CEO of PRPL
Sources: Variety
