A truckload of thanks

EIGHT months of work on the Hollywood action film ‘Flight of the Phoenix’ ended yesterday with a donation to the Namibian Police at Swakopmund.

Acting Station Commander, Warrant Officer Japhet Nujoma, received a truckload of stationery and office equipment, including about 20 boxes of A4 photocopy paper and some clipboards. Goods valued at around $200 000 had been donated to various organisations by the movie’s production office, said Guy Nockels of Namib Films.He said it was part of their philosophy to put something back into communities.Nockels told The Namibian they wanted to support the Police because of the wonderful job they were doing in combating crime and for general assistance they had provided to the movie crew.”Crime was one of the issues we worried about before we started but it turned out not to be a major issue.There were some instances of petty crime, but the Police were always very swift to assist,” he said.Donations of office furniture, kitchen appliances – including kettles, cups and cutlery, as well as food, were given to Catholic AIDS Action and the Walvis Bay Multi-Purpose Centre.Although the production and administrative offices of the movie close today, Nockels said rehabilitation teams would continue working until the end of May.Almost 40 Namibians are rehabilitating the sites used for filming.This includes ploughing up 2,2 km of runway at the Roessing mountain and a 4-km stretch of road.There are about six areas in the dunes that need to be restored to their original state.This includes uncovering bushes that had to be covered and taking out fences.Nockels said he had heard that there had been complaints that the sites had not been rehabilitated.”It took us eight months to set it all up, it is going to take time to rehabilitate it again.”He added that they were being monitored by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to ensure that they stuck to their initial agreement.’Flight of the Phoenix’, with Dennis Quaid in the lead role, is the first Hollywood film to be shot completely in Namibia.The film, which was said to boost the coastal economy by as much as N$257 million, employed 150 Namibians in a variety of posts as well as 36 Topnaars as extras in the movie.Goods valued at around $200 000 had been donated to various organisations by the movie’s production office, said Guy Nockels of Namib Films.He said it was part of their philosophy to put something back into communities.Nockels told The Namibian they wanted to support the Police because of the wonderful job they were doing in combating crime and for general assistance they had provided to the movie crew.”Crime was one of the issues we worried about before we started but it turned out not to be a major issue.There were some instances of petty crime, but the Police were always very swift to assist,” he said.Donations of office furniture, kitchen appliances – including kettles, cups and cutlery, as well as food, were given to Catholic AIDS Action and the Walvis Bay Multi-Purpose Centre.Although the production and administrative offices of the movie close today, Nockels said rehabilitation teams would continue working until the end of May.Almost 40 Namibians are rehabilitating the sites used for filming.This includes ploughing up 2,2 km of runway at the Roessing mountain and a 4-km stretch of road.There are about six areas in the dunes that need to be restored to their original state.This includes uncovering bushes that had to be covered and taking out fences.Nockels said he had heard that there had been complaints that the sites had not been rehabilitated.”It took us eight months to set it all up, it is going to take time to rehabilitate it again.”He added that they were being monitored by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to ensure that they stuck to their initial agreement.’Flight of the Phoenix’, with Dennis Quaid in the lead role, is the first Hollywood film to be shot completely in Namibia.The film, which was said to boost the coastal economy by as much as N$257 million, employed 150 Namibians in a variety of posts as well as 36 Topnaars as extras in the movie.