SA thriller Girl from Nowhere is a surprise success for Showmax

Showmax execs have been thrilled by the success of their recent acquisition Girl from Nowhere. With no prior cinema release, no marketing budget, and a miniscule production budget, Girl from Nowhere managed to fend off even big-budget Hollywood movies to become the most watched film on the platform for nearly two weeks after its launch.

After its debut on 1 July 2018, the grindhouse thriller stayed in the top 10 position for 10 weeks. At the time of writing, Girl from Nowhere was the 11th most popular movie of year on Showmax so far, across both local and international titles.

In Girl from Nowhere, a Cape Town couple, Katherine and Hugh (Tamryn Speirs and Scot Cooper), are headed to their private mountain getaway in the Cederberg, when they pick up a hitchhiker, Liza (Christia Visser in her debut film role – you can also see her in the docu-drama Alison, which launches on Showmax on 1 November), who carries a gun. Liza is invited for lunch, but soon the couple can’t get rid of her.

Director Mark Jackson says: “I’m really grateful to Showmax for taking this chance on my no-budget indie movie, when it was unfortunately overlooked by local distributors. I think perhaps it’s done so well in part due to its gritty look and feel, and to the strong, natural performances of the cast. And perhaps audiences are wanting something different, that might feel more authentic to them than some of the big-budget Hollywood films. I really hope it inspires other guerrilla filmmakers to look beyond their budgets.”

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