As South Africa celebrates the selection of The Heart is a Muscle as our official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards, I wrote directly to Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie, urging him to urgently meet with the producers and explore how his office could support the project, or leverage connections to secure sponsorships before the end of October 2025.
The only response we received was that “the appropriate people had been copied and would follow up directly”. That was a week ago. Since then, there has been no meeting, no commitment and no action.
Gayton McKenzie is quick to make headlines when it suits him, but when South African artists need him most, he’s missing in action. For a minister who has built his public image around being a “man of action,” his silence on this issue speaks volumes.
This is not a minor oversight. The Heart is a Muscle has already achieved what few South African films ever do. Produced entirely in Cape Town with a local cast and crew of more than 50, it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2025, was screened at the Sydney Film Festival, and is due to appear at Cairo’s International Film Festival later this year. It also walked away with Best Feature Film at the Silwerskermfees.
This is a story that represents the Cape Flats with heart and humanity. It’s a film that could once again put South Africa on the global stage, much as Tsotsi did nearly two decades ago. Yet while the world celebrates it, the very institutions meant to champion South African creativity are standing on the sidelines.
Refused
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has refused to provide meaningful support, claiming there is no budget, despite having funded Oscar campaigns in previous years. Other countries began their campaigns months ago, while South Africa’s selection was only announced last week, leaving the producers just weeks to raise the R2.5 million needed to mount a credible Oscar campaign which would cover international screenings, press engagement and strategy.
The private sector has shown leadership where government has not. Multichoice has stepped up to contribute towards the campaign, recognising the importance of celebrating South African talent, but the very department, which constantly speaks about supporting the creative economy, has done little more than send emails declining support, or promising to engage but with no follow-through.
Let’s be clear, supporting this film is not a handout, it’s an investment in South Africa’s soft power, creative economy and global image. Every country that takes film seriously understands this. When their filmmakers succeed, they bring prestige, tourism and jobs home. When our filmmakers succeed, they are met with silence and red tape.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture under McKenzie’s leadership should have seized this moment. Even if the department cannot provide direct funding, it could have used its networks and influence to secure sponsorships, form partnerships and mobilise allies across the public and private sectors. But that requires leadership, and leadership is exactly what’s missing.
Deserves better
The Democratic Alliance calls on Minister Gayton McKenzie to meet with the film’s producers immediately and demonstrate that his ministry is not all talk. South Africa’s creative sector has endured years of underfunding, delayed payments and shifting priorities. It deserves better than empty promises and political posturing.
The Heart is a Muscle represents the very best of South African storytelling; it is authentic, powerful and deeply human. What it needs now is for government to match that passion with action.
Ultimately, when the lights fade and the applause dies down, what remains is the question every South African artist keeps asking: does our government even care about the arts?
[Image: By Indigenous Film Distribution, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81221250]
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR.
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