IF you REALLY want insight into South Africa, see it thru the eyes of Hanli Prinsloo: Vit som blod (White as blood); @hanliprinsloo

IF you REALLY want insight into South Africa, see it thru the eyes of Hanli Prinsloo; @hanliprinsloo

For weeks I've been sitting on this little gold nugget, waiting for just the right time to bring it out for you all to finally see and admire.

Today, with the first Semifinal of the 2010 World Cup taking place in Cape Town with The Netherlands facing Uruguay -with me rooting for The Orange- I decided the time was right to share this fabulous documentary called Vit som blod (White as blood) by Hanli Prinsloo that first aired on Swedish Television (SVT) in Sweden a month ago, before the World Cup started or any of the fascinating kungliga bröllopet stuff with Crown Princess Victoria.

I've probably watched it now three or four times in the interim, and I have to tell you that there are some things in it that still get to me every time.

Just for the record, though they are both from southern Africa, South Africa-born Hanli Prinsloo is NOT the sister of fashion supermodel and Victoria's Secret angel Behati Prinsloo, who is from Namibia. I've had something interesting on Behati stored-up in Draft waiting for just the right time, which I guess I'll share right now. @BeePrinsloo



VS PINK - DRIVING LESSON FOR BEHATI from Rockville Pictures on Vimeo.
VS PINK - DRIVING LESSON FOR BEHATI

My first thought? This explains a lot of the traffic problems in South Beach... watching -and avoiding!- Behati Prinsloo

Some of you more astute readers of the blog may have first seen her when she was on CBS-TV promoting the December 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at The Fontainbleau.

So back to the serious stuff... Once the film begins, you'll see that it's of a caliber and ambition far more serious than what the U.S. networks have shown over here in relation to the run-up to the 2010 World Cup.

Prinsloo's film is a great example of some very savvy and personal film-making, and while one can't hope for miracles, ESPN sure hasn't gone out of their way to do any of the sort of cultural, political or historical aspects of the South Africa story the way that Jim McKay would've done for ABC Sports. But then he was the gold standard

The film is just over 58 minutes long, in English with Swedish sub-titles -avec un peu de Afrikaans- but you'll understand 99% of it. 
Be sure to hit the full screen button in the bottom right to better view it. This film will be available at the SVT Play website until next Tuesday, July 13th.

Here's the premise of the film: After seven years of living in Sweden, Hanli Prinsloo is returning to South Africa. But before she moves home, she must first come to terms with her family's heritage. Hanli's grandfather was a political leader of the apartheid regime. It's finally time to confront the family over the issue that has caused so much conflict over the years. Hanli embarks on her journey from Sweden filled with deeply-felt emotions and personal conflicts to get an answer to the question: Kan jag bo här? Can I stay here?
http://svtplay.se/v/2031363/dokumentarfilm/vit_som_blod

For more on the amazing Hanli Prinsloo, go to her new website at 
http://hanliprinsloo.com/

Her old blog was at: http://hanlifreediver.blogspot.com
http://www.iamwater.co.za/

Hanli Prinsloo, @hanliprinsloo  https://twitter.com/hanliprinsloo

https://www.youtube.com/user/hanlifreediver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOCXjeroMcE

Formidable! Sonia Rykiel Pour H&M'S Unforgettable Paris Party; video you have to see to believe

Received this package via email early this morning,
about 3:16 a.m. to be precise, but wanted to wait
a few hours to catch my breath, as I'm just trying
to come to grips with how great the 2009 Victoria's
Secret Fashion Show was last night on CBS,
perhaps the single best-produced show on TV
this year other than the Emmy's with Neil Patrick
Harris or the Pilot for USA's instant hit, White Collar.

(Plus, trying to get the image of the amazing
Behati Prinsloo out of my head.
I've got a post on her coming-up in a few days.)

As you watch this beautifully produced video of the
party last night in Paris for the launch of the
much-antipated SONIA RYKIEL POUR H&M line,
keep one thing firmly in mind.

Despite having more time, money and resources
to throw at it to make it a spectacle, there's ZERO
chance that the NFL will have anything even
remotely this clever or jaw-dropping for the
Super Bowl down here in two months.
(I'm thinking Saints 37, Colts 31, right now.)

As I watched this video in amazement, knowing
that she was there, somewhere, I couldn't help
but scan for longtime film fave Kate Bosworth
in the background in every frame.

When I finally saw her, once again, I couldn't help
but wish that she'd put on a little more weight,
but that's me. I really think there's a truly amazing
actress inside of her, with range that would be
entirely self-evident with the right nuanced script,
but wow, her longtime skinny persona really
makes it hard to concentrate on what she's
actually saying and doing up on the screen
sometimes.

At times, it's almost as distracting as her natural
and amazing good looks.
http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/12/02/kate-bosworth-holds-onto-hm/

I have a lot of similar feelings script-wise
about the delightfully curvier and funnier
Heather Graham.
Is there a reason why nobody else has thought
of casting the two of them as sisters or cousins?
It's obvious!

Heather as the older, funnier California cousin,
Kate the self-serious Bostonian cousin who
needs to desperately break out of her shell
a bit before her perfectionist mode completely
alienates everyone she knows.
So, when an opportunity presents itself one day,
they take a trip together to Europe when
fashion exec Heather heads to Paris...

To get a better look at the the new Sonia Rykiel
Pour H&M line, go to
http://www.hm.com/us/#/soniarykiel/

---------
from the H&M press release I received this morning:

FANTASY, MAGIC, FASHION!

SONIA RYKIEL POUR H&M'S UNFORGETTABLE PARIS PARTY

Kate Bosworth, Eva Herzigova and Nadja Auermann partied together with fashionistas in a magical world in Paris last night to celebrate the launch of Sonia Rykiel pour H&M. The Grand Palais, one of the city’s most famous buildings, was transformed into a Parisian fantasy land for around 2,000 guests. Among them were stars such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Ellen von Unwerth and Emanuelle Béart, who walked through an enchanted forest before arriving at a recreation of Saint Germain, the spiritual home of Sonia Rykiel. Then, seated under a specially made Eiffel Tower, guests were given a preview of the Sonia Rykiel pour H&M lingerie collection, which debuts in around 1,500 H&M stores worldwide from December 5, as well as the knitwear collection for women and girls, which arrives in around 200 stores on February 20, 2010.

“It was all about the brilliance of Paris and of Sonia Rykiel. We wanted to give our guests a story-like experience, let them enter a fantasy world where they could discover the Sonia Rykiel pour H&M collections and let themselves go”, says Nathalie Rykiel, artistic director and president of Sonia Rykiel.

“It was the most magical evening. Sonia Rykiel is so totally Parisian, the epitome of chic. This is the spirit of the Sonia Rykiel pour H&M collections that shone through at the party last night. It was such a thrill to work with a fashion icon like Sonia Rykiel. We are really happy with the collections, which we feel is 100 percent Sonia Rykiel. The lingerie collection is really the perfect Christmas gift”, says Margareta van den Bosch, H&M’s creative advisor.

Held on the first night of December, the H&M party for Sonia Rykiel truly marked the start of the festive season. Embodying the essence of Paris as much as Sonia Rykiel herself, the glittering city inside the Grand Palais was like a sparkling and surreal theme park for adults. The collections were displayed on floats which emerged from a recreation of the Arc de Triomphe, with a Parisian funfair as backdrop.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Sonia Rykiel. To me she is so feminine, and so wonderfully dramatic, like a big glittery bow on a dress. It’s crazy here, I wasn’t expecting this. It’s like a mini carnival,” says Kate Bosworth.

“I love Sonia Rykiel, and I love the association with H&M. Sonia Rykiel is like a revolution in fashion. She makes sexy clothes, but ones that are very modern, cool and feminine. She’s super-clever and super-talented and I have big, big admiration for her,” says Jean Paul Gaultier.

“I think it’s very Sonia Rykiel to have her presentation with H&M here. She’s so Paris, and I don’t think she could have had it anywhere else,” says Eva Herzigova.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqilHsSzQCE&feature=player_profilepage



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k54qX5xZQM

Now that you've seen it, this is how they put the
Sonia Rykiel show was put together.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFjfbVQ4gVI

See also: http://www.soniarykiel.com/
-------
More H&M vids at http://www.youtube.com/hm

I last wrote about H&M in May:
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/swedish-retailer-h-plans-2-stores.html

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Swedish retailer H&M plans 2 stores for...not South Florida, but Central Florida -where all the Svenska flickor shop.
The H&M in Washington is about six blocks east of The White House. Meanwhile, in the year 2009, there's still no general interest bookstore within the city limits of Miami. Congratulations!
---------------------
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-swedish-retailer-to-open-two-stores-051109,0,370371.story

Swedish retailer H&M plans 2 stores for Central Florida
By Sandra Pedicini
--------------

Not so sure about the validity of the bookstore thing
putdown anymore, but will investigate further.