Africa welcomes detective film
Botswana welcomed a crew making a film of a popular series of detective novels set in the southern African country, with officials saying the movie would generate good publicity for Africa.
The film based on the “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series by Alexander McCall Smith is expected to be released by Christmas, and has the backing of Botswana’s government.
“Africa for the first time will be shown in its true warmth and welcoming spirit,” Kitso Mokaila, Botswana’s tourism minister, said at a Tuesday news conference. Smith’s books have been international best sellers and critical successes, starting in 2003 with “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.”
The film will be directed by Academy Award-winning British director Anthony Minghella (“Cold Mountain,” “The English Patient”). Minghella is also booked to write the libretto and direct a new work by composer Osvaldo Golijov that has been commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera.
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