Koors: A comedy short that doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to that time of the month
Menstruation has been a taboo topic for centuries. Some patriarchal cultures even considered women “unclean” during this completely natural biological process that occurs roughly 400 times in a lifetime.
Why are today’s women still a bit shy about their periods? Why do we still use euphemisms like “that time of the month”, “the red car” or “calendar fever”?
It’s a fact that the fairer sex is not exactly thrilled about it. It’s painful; it’s uncomfortable; men love to joke about the emotional rollercoaster which is PMS – and, God forbid, if there’s a leak!
In the “daring” comedy Koors (Fever), screenwriter and director Bianca Bothma addresses this head on and with a dash of humour. Koors revolves around the ambitious Simone who, minutes before an important presentation to a boardroom full of hard-nosed men, gets an unpleasant surprise in the ladies room. To make matters worse, there’s a problem with her only tampon.
Bianca admits the mystery surrounding menstruation has always fascinated her. “The stigma is understandable, but it’s completely illogical.”
With Koors, Bianca wanted to place this mystery front and centre, whilst opening up about her own experiences. “How does it affect me, and what am I willing to admit? I also hope that in the future I, and others like me, will have the courage to ask loudly and without shame: ‘Does anyone have a tampon for me?’ “
Mandri Sutherland, also known as the Instagram sensation “Vroudrie”, gives a brilliant performance as the main character in Koors, a woman who, of course, struggles with the stigma surrounding periods.
In her one-woman show Vrou etc., Mandri displays a deep understanding of the comic side of the Afrikaner psyche. She immediately agreed to portray Simone in the movie. “There is an authenticity to the character that appeals to me.”
The producer, Louis du Preez, was equally excited about Simone’s story. “I am surrounded by female energy in my home (a wife and two daughters) and on a certain level I resonated with her predicament.”
Bianca and Louis have both been involved with Silwerskerm Festival success stories in other capacities.
One of Louis’s first experiences on a film set was as a production assistant on the 2013 short film winner, Toevlug. Thereafter, Louis held various behind-the-scenes positions on festival films such as Skoon and Slaaf. The highlight was his role as line producer on the feature film Gaia, which won numerous Silwerskerm Festival Awards in 2022.
Bianca received a nomination for her editing of 2017’s best short film, Versnel.
Louis is known in the industry for drawing up lists, as his motto is “planning relieves stress”. Would he share this advice with the unprepared Simone in Koors?
“Fate had it in for Simone,” says Louis. “Not much a list could achieve against that.”
Koors screens at the festival on Wednesday 23 August at 10:30 and will be available on kykNET and Showmax thereafter.