Taking Stock – A South African documentary which explores the conflicted connections between business and family, community, and country.
What exactly is ‘Taking Stock’?
Ben Stillerman will direct the production and this is what he has to say about the documentary, “The film will follow my father, Clive Stillerman, a shopkeeper-philosopher from South Africa, and his complicated relationships with his relatives, employees, and friends, as seen through the lens of his shop, Benoni Discount Stores.”
Ben speaks about the plot…
“I’m making a film about family business. My father is a shopkeeper, and my immigrant grandfather was a shopkeeper, and as far back as our village in Poland, my family has been in business. The present incarnation is in South Africa, and is about to turn 65 years old. The shop stocks home-wares, everything you need for your kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, from pots and pans to curtains, brooms and blankets. My father has been there since he was seventeen, and now at 58, he has built his own small, three-store empire. He once loved it, and now, I think, he hates it. He calls it his “Empire of Dirt”, after the Johnny Cash song, and he half-jokingly says he’s waiting for it to die with him. For 35 years the business has been with him through marriages, children, a divorce, family feuds, social change, deaths, several recessions, and the rise and fall of Apartheid. I believe that his life in business has had a profound impact on his life outside the business. I also believe that his business has had a much wider influence on the lives of his employees and family, than he realizes.
Now, he is talking about trying to reinvigorate the business, even as his issues with guilt and depression loom. This film will document a complete month in the business, where I hope to learn what makes him tick, and be with him as he takes stock of his business and life, while examining his relationships with those around him, at work and at home.”
This film would not be happening without the contributions of people like you. They need the support of everyone who has lived with a family business, everyone who has wondered about the relationship between work and life, and everyone who wants to see a uniquely South African perspective on some of our oldest questions.
You can contribute here through Kickstarter
What makes ‘Taking Stock’ different from other local productions?
Local films are getting previously unheard stories out to South African and international audiences.Taking Stock is a fresh look at modern issues in South Africa, aware of the past, but tackling them in a modern way. It’s a personal story, with a universal theme. Business, family, community and country are connected. This will be explored in the film. The film is being done completely professionally. All the crew have come from Los Angeles, but have varied backgrounds.
More information on ‘Taking Stock’
- Website: http://www.takingstockfilm.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/takingstockdoc
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/takingstockmovie
