Alex Moumbaris (section Escape) and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. They were sent to Pretoria Central Prison - since renamed Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area - where prisoners were divided up depending on their race. They caught us with printing equipment. Escape from Pretoria airs on Saturday, 4 July, at 20:00 on TNT (DStv 137) We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. The film will be especially endearing to viewers who love to hone in on how to, for example, make tools that look innocuous and can be easily hidden. Using an ingenious homemade wooden key attached, like a crankshaft, to the end of a broomstick, Tim had just got through his outer cell door. All of them imprisoned for underground work on behalf of the . Door five and six were near the night wardens office, so they hatched a plan to leave dummies made from boiler suits stuffed with sheets in their beds so they could hide in a cupboard while he went to check on their cells. They both found their sociology course disappointing, as the material reinforced the status quo of apartheid. Jenkin and Leejoined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbarisdecide to send the regime a clear message and escape. 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Jordan Meets Reporter at 'Creed III' Premiere Who 'Teased Him all the Time' in High School: 'I Was the Corny Kid, Right? It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, he says. and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. We had . Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner.He was born in Egypt to Greek parents, grew up in Australia, lived and worked in the UK, was imprisoned in South Africa and now lives in France.He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local . more Rent SAR 14.99 Buy SAR 49.99 Trailers Ratings and Reviews 4.5 COMMON SENSE [5] He later wrote that he had "grown up a 'normal' complacent white South African" who "unthinkingly accepted the system and for twenty-one years never questioned it". His wife was detained during the same period of his detention, but was later released without charge. Escape from Pretoria sees Daniel Radcliffe in a very different role from his work in the Harry Potter franchise. He left for the UK in 1970, where, working in a fibreglass factory under poor working conditions and little pay, found the system unjust and developed an interest in sociology. [15], At 3am the morning of 2 March 1978, Jenkin and Lee were both arrested, after being seen moving their printing equipment into their own dwelling. At the time it was the site of the countrys capital punishment regime (which was abolished in 1995), and housed its death row. At this point, a third prisoner, Alex Moumbaris joined the escape effort. View our online Press Pack. As the former prison inmate told The Daily Mail, this memory was to transform his life, and soon enough, he had begun to test out various plans that could help him and Tim get out of the horrid institution. Jenkin and Lee, furious about being imprisoned for their thoughts, wanted to escape to prove to the world their differences, and of course, to fight for democracy in their country. Recalling their rather more successful attempt, Stephen explained: The sense of freedom was amazing. He was visited in prison twice a year by his mother and young son, Boris, from France. I still have it in my toolbox and still use it as a normal tool. [25][26] Filming of Escape from Pretoria began in Adelaide, South Australia, in March 2019, with Daniel Webber joining the cast as Lee. He is best known for his 1979 escape from Pretoria Local Prison (part of the Pretoria Central Prison complex), along with Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris. [2], Moumbaris became involved with the ANC at a time when the organisation had suffered many setbacks. From the very first day, we started to collect intelligence about possible escape routes, says Tim, who now lives in Johannesburg. It's not intended as a compliment: "The most deluded of them all," the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. [9] His ongoing task of generating enthusiasm amongst the other inmates for the escape plan was onerous, and the stress affected his health. [13] Jenkin went to London at the request of the ANC in May 1976, while Lee continued to plant leaflet bombs around Johannesburg. [4] With bills to pay, he took a job as computer specialist with a subsidiary of the Socit Gnrale and became a shop steward for the Confdration Gnrale du Travail (CGT). In 2006 a dangerous inmate, Annanias Mathe (a serial rapist charged with 51 counts of murder), got out but was caught again two weeks later. Moumbaris grew cynical about these claims but continued to see him as it was another visit from an outsider, and he could ask him questions about France. MORE : Daniel Radcliffe is a much better actor than the world is giving him credit for, MORE : Daniel Radcliffe says he wouldnt want to return to Harry Potter, Harry and Meghan break silence after Charles evicts them from Frogmore Cottage, FA Cup quarter-final draw: Manchester United play Fulham; Man City face Burnley, Roy Keane slams West Ham midfielder Declan Rice after 80m Arsenal transfer link, Girl killed in Florida shooting ran to mom for help yelling he shot me, Emmerdale spoilers: Triple exit as Amy and Matty leave the village with Kyle, Daniel Radcliffe is a much better actor than the world is giving him credit for, Daniel Radcliffe says he wouldnt want to return to Harry Potter, Do not sell or share my personal information. [3], On 23 October 1973, the matter of possible theft of documents from the Clapham Common home of Moumbaris and his wife was raised in the UK parliament by Labour party MP Alex Lyon. [10], His relationship with the jailers tended towards being outwardly defiant and somewhat aggressive, laughing at new wardens who tried to discipline him. . Escape From Pretoria follows the months-long construction of an escape plan formulated by South African apartheid activists Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee, and French national Leonard Fontaine (substituted for Egyptian-Australian activist Alex Moumbaris). There was an effort to rebuild the armed wing known as Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and a plan was hatched by Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo and/or Moses Mabhida, with the help of the South African Communist Party[2] to land 25 combatants plus arms via a boat previously purchased by the ANC, the Adventurer (or Avventura[4]), on the Transkei coast via the Indian Ocean from Somalia. Once the key was ready to go, they had to work out how to get the door open without the guards noticing. While cleaning their corridor outside, Tim got his second key to fit but the bolt became stuck. He adds: I have probably different emotions as people. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 2020 PG-13 1h 46m DVD Rent this movie Play trailer. He would then lean out of the tiny opening next to the door of his cell, and get the key inside the lock with a broomstick and a mirror. [2], In March 1988, Moumbaris was at the side of ANC Chief Representative Dulcie September in 1988 when she was shot and killed outside the office in Paris. South African Tim Jenkins' (Daniel Radcliffe) sentence of 12 years in Pretoria's maximum-security prison has to be seen as a warning to other white people repulsed by apartheid. What 15 KB (566 words) - 03:39, 25 February 2021 Grant Piro Broadcasting Corporation. As it is, its been done cheaply and (sort of) cheerfully as an Australian production by British writer-director Francis Annan, focusing heavily on suspense mechanics as if to modestly understate its factual heft. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. Lying on his bunk one night, he gazed at the lock in front of him and had a flash of inspiration. [14], Moumbaris was allowed to see the French envoy from time to time, who would assure him he was doing everything within his power to secure his release and persuade the authorities to let Marie-Jos visit him. While the first step toward freedom might have been exhilarating, it was far from their most momentous achievement. When he finally unlocked his cell door after two whole months of filing, he was overjoyed, Boom this thing just slid open, absolutely smoothly. He continued: [It was] the only thing we managed to keep; we got rid of the all the keys immediately, but for some reason we kept thatprobably as a weapon. "I just took the chance and carried the parts of the key and tools we needed, a triangular file and some glue in a Thermos flask," he said. He became instrumental to the escape plan in several ways, making the early suggestion any escape plan would have to involve the making of keys,[7] providing a hacksaw which he had secreted after plumbers had left it behind,[8] and getting involved in some of the riskier aspects of the planning and testing of the scheme. They became friends and, in a South African version of Samizdat, Jenkins and Lee sought out literature banned by the ruling National Party. The prison, constructed from stone and steel, had gone down in prisoner folklore as being a fortress from which no one could ever hope to escape. It took them a year to get as far as door eleven, the final one. To make this possible, they befriended another inmate, Alex Moumbaris. The fact that they were all in prison for their political activities and beliefs united them, and "as members of a revolutionary organisation [they] were disciplined and shared in [their] suffering collectively". The pair ended up behind bars in the South African city of Tshwane in 1979 due to their roles as white supporters of Nelson Mandelas then-banned African National Congress (ANC). So I wouldnt say its embellished at all, its quite accurate, he explains. [35][36] Filming of Escape from Pretoria began in Adelaide, South Australia, in March and April 2019, with Daniel Webber joining the cast as Lee. Again Tims ingenuity was tested. This was how he knew how long the key needed to be. The last 30-odd years have seen such a wealth of diverse, resonant personal histories emerge from the ashes of apartheid not least that of the actual, not-white Mandela that " Escape from. 'Escape from Pretoria' will . I took the file that I brought, and I had the lock in front of me so I could keep testing it, he explained of the agonisingly slow process. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. At night there were dogs in the yard, Stephen told The Mirror. But of course if you continue doing something long enough, you will make mistakes. [13], Marie-Jos was repeatedly denied a visitor's visa to visit him in prison, and in February 1978 Moumbaris went on a hunger strike to try to force the authorities to let her in, but after 10 days realised the futility of this and gave up. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. On December 11th, 1979, three white activists, Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris, escaped from Pretoria Central Prison. I knew it was curtains for us. He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local . [15] Both of them and Lee felt throughout the sooner they got out, the greater the chances of being discovered; the others warned against impatience but agreed the participants should as far as possible be in control.[16]. My heart was racing. He returned to France after his escape. It was dangerous, they did have regular inspections. Jenkin's autobiography Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison is the inspiration for the screenplay and will tell the story of how Jenkin, Lee and Alex Moumbaris escaped the prison using. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoriavsters friluftsomrde. Meanwhile, it may struggle to find much of a fanbase in its own country of setting, where audiences might reasonably wonder why at least one South African actor couldnt have been cast in a principal role. Luckily, the warder blamed one of his colleagues. While awaiting clearance for membership, Jenkin worked as a social worker at a reform school in Swindon. While their revolutionary deeds helped to change the course of history, their prison escape was that which garnered them real fame. [4] He had not grown up in a political family, but when in Britain associated with Communists there and he was inspired by the communist resistance to the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. [18], Jenkin returned to South Africa in 1991 to manage the ANC's communications network. The lifelong supporters of the Nelson-Mandela-led African National Congress, they strove to mobilize the people to abolish segregation. [28], In 1987 his book, Escape from Pretoria, was published in London. We started just before the Soweto uprising in 1976 and carried on for three years. But we got away with it. "I wanted to run but we just kept walking to the railway station, where we used our money to get in a taxi," Stephen said. Denis Goldberg first joined in with the intention of fleeing as well, but he eventually withdrew and stayed on as an advisor. Jenkin had smuggled some money into prison. "After that I took a chance and took the parts we needed, including a file, back to my cell in a Thermos flask.. Adams workaday screenplay, the actors signature anxious-earnest mien is leaned on a lot here, as is his overly explanatory voiceover, which provides a broad primer on apartheid for any uninformed viewers, along with a reminder that freedom and equality should be fought for at all costs.. 40 years after his mad dash for freedom with his collection of wooden keys and one chisel which was, unbelievably, successful Jenkins story is being told in the feature film, with Daniel Radcliffe playing the lead role. To make matters more complicated, he could only unlock his cell door from the outside, and used a broomstick he had been allowed to hang on to for cleaning with the key attached to the end so that he could reach. Watch on. [9], In February 1974, Jenkin and Lee left the country in order to join the ANC in London, with the intention of helping to bring about change in South Africa. Escape from Pretoria. He lived and worked in UK and later moved to South Africa. . For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. We has skype chats, he wanted to learn about the character and the accent, Jenkin, now-71, explained of the study Radcliffe did to ace his portrayal. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as a jailed anti-apartheid activist, this true-life prison-break thriller is stronger on genre mechanics than political nuance. The third prisoner in this true story was in fact Alexandre Moumbaris, Egyptian born of Greek heritage who grew up in Australia and was raised in the UK. Timothy Peter Jenkin (born 1948) is a South African writer, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. 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