Volle bors: Producer Gabriella Blumberg inhabits the director’s chair with a short film that captures our zeitgeist
In 2022 the shortfilm Leemtes en leegheid won several Silwerskerm Festival trophies, including the award for best short film in this category. On top of that, Leemtes en leegheid made festival history. It was the first short film ever to win the audience favourite award.
Gabriella Blumberg and Sam Pelteret produced this touching short film. At this 11th kykNET Silwerskerm Festival, Gabriella makes her directorial debut with yet another touching short film, Volle bors, for which she also tried her hand at scriptwriting for the first time. “Volle bors” in Afrikaans generally refers to singing at top volume, while the direct translation, “whole chest”, references the film’s central theme.
Volle bors revolves around Eva, a poet in her 20s, who tests positive for the BRCA 1 genetic mutation. This means Eva’s risk for breast cancer is extremely high. A preventive double mastectomy is recommended, but Eva struggles with the idea. Then, just before a poetry festival where Eva will be in the spotlight, she realises that perhaps she should have made the decision about her breasts sooner.
The story cuts close to the bone for Gabriella: It is based on her own life. Breast cancer is part of Gabriella’s family history. Her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 26 and her mother inherited it. Gabriella chose to have the operation.
However, at the time of her double mastectomy, she quickly realized that it is a taboo subject in many circles. She decided to use storytelling as a tool to curb stigma and stimulate conversations about it.
“Volle bors centers on relevant themes of our zeitgeist, like femininity and the symbolism of breasts,” says Gabriella. A woman’s breasts are associated with sexuality, breastfeeding and attractiveness – aspects that are directly threatened by a double mastectomy. Still, there are many ways to express your feminine identity, whether you have breasts or not.
“It is important that we don’t shy away from it – especially as the BRCA1 genetic mutation is prevalent among Afrikaans, isiXhosa and Ashkenazi Jewish communities in South Africa.”
The seed for Volle bors was planted by a poem Gabriella wrote when she had to make the all-important decision. As she penned it down, she came across poetry written by both her mother and grandmother, describing their emotions during their breast cancer journey.
However, Gabriella is English-speaking and for Eva’s poem she called on Jeani Heyns to translate the idiomatic use of language. Jeani also assisted with the translation of the script, following which the well-known poet, Bibi Slippers, honed the words.
Marguerite van Eeden (Vaselinetjie, Vergeet me nie) gives a soulful performance as Eva.
“Marguerite is a sensitive actress and portrays Eva as an empowered woman who actively makes decisions and doesn’t drown in self-pity,” says Gabriella.
Volle bors also speaks to the impact of social media on the zeitgeist, as its effects on Eva’s mood veers from positive to negative.
Jordy Sank, Gabriella’s partner at Sanktuary Films, is the producer of Volle bors. He was the director of Leemtes en leegheid.
Volle Bors screens on Friday 25 August at the festival and will be available on kykNET and Showmax thereafter.