District 9

District 9 (2009)

Timing: 1:52 (112 min)

7.462/10
10237

7.772/10
327659

7.9/10
750000

All about film

Video 18

Photo 72

Actors and characters

Release date

2009-08-05

Country

New Zealand, South Africa, United States

Production

TriStar Pictures, WingNut Films, Block / Hanson, District 9

Genre

Science Fiction

Budget

$30 000 000

Revenue

$210 888 950

Website

http://www.d-9.com/

Director

Neill Blomkamp

Actors

Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, Elizabeth Mkandawie, John Sumner, William Allen Young, Nick Blake, Greg Melvill-Smith, Robert Hobbs
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell

Producer

Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham, Bill Block, Elliot Ferwerda, Ken Kamins, Mark Brooke

Operator

Trent Opaloch

Composer

Clinton Shorter

Artist

Audition

Miranda Rivers, Denton Douglas

Editing

Julian Clarke, Michael S. Murphey
All team (536)

• The idea to expand the short film into a full-fledged mockumentary came from Peter Jackson’s wife and creative partner, Frances Walsh.
• Part of the marketing campaign in North America involved placing movie posters at bus stops in major cities, as well as on building walls, etc.; the posters stated that these zones were intended only for humans and also included a phone number (866.666.6001) to call in case of non-human presence. The film's title wasn't displayed, but there was a link to its official website.
• After the film based on the HALO game, which was to be directed by Neill Blomkamp, fell through, producer Peter Jackson offered Blomkamp $30 million to film whatever he wanted. The result was this film.
• Actor Sharlto Copley had never acted before and had no intention of pursuing an acting career. He landed the lead role after Neill Blomkamp filmed him in the short film "Survival in Joburg" (2006).
• All the aliens in the film were created on a computer, with the exception of the bodies lying in the medical laboratory.
• The film's plot and title are a reference to the apartheid regime in South Africa and "District Six" in Cape Town. In 1966, "District Six" was declared a "whites-only" area and 60,000 people were forcibly separated from family and friends and relocated to the Cape Flats.
• Approximately six different endings to the film were created during shooting.
• The language spoken by the alien (clicking sounds) was created by rubbing a pumpkin.
• Composer Clinton Shorter spent three weeks preparing the sound design. Neil Blomkamp wanted the film's soundtrack to be "rough and dark," but to retain African motifs. This was a difficult task for Shorter, as he considered much of African music to be optimistic and joyful. Shorter couldn't achieve the heavy sound of African drums, and he used a combination of taiko drums and synthesized instruments to achieve the desired results, while the main elements of the African atmosphere were conveyed in the vocals and percussion.
• When Wikus and Christopher infiltrate the MNU laboratory, the inscription Tetra Vaal is visible on the wall, which is a reference to Neil Blomkamp's short film ("Tetra Vaal" (2004)), which later became the film "Chappie" (2015).
• The film was sharply criticized by the Nigerian authorities. The country's leadership demanded an official apology from Sony for releasing a film depicting Nigerian women as prostitutes and Nigerian men as arms dealers and criminals (one of whom is also a cannibal). Furthermore, the leader of the Nigerian mafia in "District 9" is named Obesandjo – almost like former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
• Composer Clinton Shorter spent three weeks preparing the soundtrack. Neill Blomkamp wanted the film's soundtrack to be "raw and dark," but also to retain African motifs. This was a difficult task for Shorter, who found most African music to be optimistic and joyful. Shorter couldn't achieve the heavy sound he wanted with African drums, so he used a combination of taiko drums and synthesized instruments to achieve the desired results, while the main elements of the African atmosphere were conveyed through vocals and percussion.
• When Vikus and Christopher infiltrate the MNU laboratory, the inscription "Tetra Vaal" is visible on the wall, which is a reference to Neil Blomkamp's short film ("Tetra Vaal" (2004)), which later became the film "Chappie" (2015).
• At the 145th minute of the film, when Tanya shows the iron flower, you can notice ultrasound pictures taped to the mirror behind her, hinting at a woman’s possible pregnancy.