IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 16 January 2003

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMMENCES IN CAPE TOWN ON MAJOR ACTION FEATURE, “BLAST”

Cape Town, South Africa: Principal photography on the IWP International West Pictures / Gemini Film feature BLAST is currently underway in Cape Town, South Africa. Produced by Brad Krevoy (“Boat Trip,” “Barely Legal,” “Dumb and Dumber”), Klaus Rettig (“I Am Dina,” “Joe and Max,”), David Lancaster (“Styx”, “Second Skin,” “Loving Jezebel”) and David Wicht (“Promised Land,” “Second Skin,” “Mandela and DeKlerk”) and is executive produced by Gerhard Schmidt (“Bookies,” “Baby”). The feature is directed by Anthony Hickox (“Consequence,” “Federal Protection,” “The Contaminated Man”) from a screenplay by Steven de Souza (“The Flintstones,” “Hudson Hawk,” “Die Hard”). Blast is line produced in South Africa for IWP International West Pictures / Gemini Film by leading South African production house, Film Afrika Worldwide.

The picture stars Eddie Griffin (“John Q,” “Double Take,” “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”) as Lamont Dixon, Breckin Meyer (“54,” “Inside Schwartz”) as Jamal Harwin and Vinnie Jones (“Night at the Golden Eagle,” “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” “Snatch”) as Michael Kittredge with Soup, Nadine Velasquez as Luna and Tom ‘Tiny’ Lister.

When struggling marine tug pilot and single dad LAMONT DIXON accepts a last minute Christmas day assignment to tow an antiquated oil rig out to sea, he imagines that the windfall paycheck will go a long way to help raise his godson ERIC JR. – a responsibility the normally care-free tugboat skipper only recently acquired.

However, his life is thrown upside down when a group of well-armed mercenaries, led by the celebrated MICHAEL KITTREDGE, overpower the crew and seize the oilrig just off the California coast. The mercenaries initially claim to be environmental activists; but as their tactics turn to murder, their hidden agenda is revealed to be nothing less than the first blow of a 21st century Pearl Harbor aimed at the American homeland.

Outnumbered, outgunned and all but out of time, Lamont must also deal with the very unwanted assistance of JAMAL HARWIN, a techno-geek aboard the oil rig. Amusing, annoying, and inventive, Jamal may or may not be a mole working deep undercover… and whether he’s undercover for the good guys or the bad becomes literally a life-or-death question – for Lamont, for Eric – and for the whole country.

Blast is one of the biggest action features to be shot in Cape Town to date and marks the first time, anywhere in the world, that an oil company has granted permission for filmmakers to shoot aboard a working oil rig. “Owing to the ever present threat of terrorist attacks, oil companies adhere to very stringent security measures and it is unusual and an utter coup to be granted permission to shoot aboard a working rig,” comments Blast producer, Klaus Rettig. “We have been extremely fortunate to have the backing of the oil company and their unstinting support.”

While most of the spectacular, big action sequences have been shot aboard the oil rig, a major studio build that replicates the inner chambers of the oil rig has been constructed in Salt River for most of the other sequences. “This is a massive build and has been a great challenge to our production designer,” says Film Afrika line producer, Nina Heyns. “I think that this build is further evidence of the depth of talent that we have amongst South African film crews.”

BLAST will be shot entirely on location in Cape Town and principal photography is scheduled to wrap in late February 2003. Motion Picture Corporation of America distributes.