“Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidence, but rather a tapestry of acts that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan.”

This quote sums up the whole concept of the new romantic Afrikaans film Vergeet my nie, directed by André Felts and scripted by Tarryn-Tanille Prinsloo.

The film is based on a 90’s love story of Mardaleen Coetzer and Hugo Derks. Portrayed by Marguerite Van Eeden and Sean-Marco Vorster, the couple are introduced to one another on the North West University’s campus in Potchefstroom. He falls head over heels in love, but she doesn’t return his affections.

Years later they run into each other again in the United Kingdom, and here their journey to love starts again ... but not without a few hurdles on their way.

Parts of the film were shot at various locations on the campus, and the film crew only had pleasant things to say about their stay in Potchefstroom.

“Even though Potch was very cold, the people were all very friendly and the university was very accommodating,” says El Vannemé-Bekink, head of marketing for the film and marketing coordinator at the Film Factory.

“We want to thank the NWU for assisting us throughout the process. “Since the Vergeet my Nie residence was closed due to routine maintenance work, the NWU arranged for us to film in the Wag ‘n Bietjie residence.”

El is an NWU alumna and says she loved being back and seeing how beautiful the campus looks.

As with any film production, a few gremlins popped up. “Since we were filming during the holidays, only a few students were available, and we had to come up with creative ideas to portray a lively campus,” says El.

Another challenge was that they were supposed to film summer scenes, while it was actually autumn in Potchefstroom.  “Fortunately the coloured leaves in Lovers’ Lane provided for stunning visuals, contributing to the aesthetics of the film.

“Our biggest challenge however was getting visas, passports and working permits to film the scenes in the UK and Namibia. Luckily we have an amazing team and we quickly worked out all the kinks.”

You can look forward to Vergeet my nie’s premier on 14 February 2020.

A behind the scene shot taken during the filming of Vergeet my nie