District 9: Where It Came From
[caption id="attachment_49484" align="aligncenter" width="202" caption="This is going to be so awesome."]
[/caption]The film, though, is the result of Blomkamp having been approached by Jackson to direct a film based on video-game franchise Halo. Sadly enough for game nerds everywhere (I'm still bummed out about this), the Halo project never came to fruition, but Jackson felt that Blomkamp should still get the chance to make a feature film, and thus, District 9 was born. Likely surfing through some of his past projects, they found Blomkamp's amazing 2005 short film, Alive in Joburg, and decided, right then and there, that they would adapt it into a feature film.
[caption id="attachment_49485" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Screen capture from "Alive in Joburg.""]
[/caption]Alive in Joburg is directed in documentary style, detailing the tensions between local South African residents, the refugee aliens living in shanty towns and brutalized by the government, and the growing possibility of civil war, all the result of the horrifying system of apartheid in South Africa from 1948 to the early 90's. It is an excellent short film, and because of it, I highly anticipate District 9. Neill Blomkamp's movie is going to be so awesome.
You can watch Alive in Joburg here. And if you want more Blomkamp, here's a commercial he directed for Adidas, called "Yellow." Or commercials he directed for the release of Halo 3, here, here, and here.
