During a time of rapid technological growth, online personas and a call for ecological heroism, Sam finds herself nearing her 25th birthday and has adopted what seems to be a fear surrounding the topic of death. An inordinate somewhat existential fear surrounding her own death, the death of those around her and perhaps even the implosion of the world itself. Plagued by this anxiety, Sam slowly starts backing away from life, putting off her goal of pursuing a career in children's books, relying on the financial stability of her exploitative au pair job. With the sudden return of her mother's cancer, her world begins to unravel. Despite the burgeoning sense of instability Sam tries to live a seemingly normal life by going on dates, attending friends' baby-showers, work interviews and maintaining her responsibilities as an au pair. Extravagant Ways To Say Goodbye is a comical look at a young woman in the 21st century and how she navigates grief and a kaleidoscope of dysfunctional relationships as she forges her way forward.

Starring — Jazzara Jaslyn, Kathleen Stephens, Brent Palmer and Erica Wessls

Written & Directed by — Liese Kuhn

Cinematography — Marius de Nysschen

Editing — Nick the Greek and Eva Du Preez

Original Music — Moteane Maseko with Additional Music by Rodrigo Silvestrini

Producer — Carolyn Carew (Free Women Films)

South Africa, Canada | 90 min. | English | French subtitles available | Coming Soon

Liese Kuhn is a South African screenwriter and director known for her visually rich, character-driven narratives that explore themes of identity, trauma, and resilience. She graduated cum laude from AFDA Cape Town in 2016 and further honed her scriptwriting skills under the guidance of Tracey-Lee Rainers, Ayanda Halimana, Vicki Bawcombe, and Matthew Kalil. In 2019, she was selected for the NFVF Female Filmmakers Program, where she trained under Lwazi Mvusi. Her feature script, Extravagant Ways to Say Goodbye, earned her a place in the Durban Talents program in cooperation with Berlinale Talents in 2020, leading to a scholarship at Sundance for script revision with Naomi Foner and visual directing with former AFI chair Bill Dill. In 2021, she was selected for the Durban Filmmart Alumni Business Lab, where she gained expertise in Tax and Entertainment Law, Marketing, Project Packaging, and Business Strategy. She was also a mentee in the Jackson Wild Wildlife Filmmaking Program under the mentorship of Love Nature’s Stephanie Atlas. Liese wrote and directed Extravagant Ways to Say Goodbye, which was filmed in the winter of 2024 in Cape Town and is currently in post-production. The film was developed through Sundance, DFM and JETS Berlin, where it was announced as a winner. In 2024, she co-wrote and directed the pilot episode of Transmission, an African sci-fi drama that won at the NYC Web Fest and was featured in TIMESLIVE for its groundbreaking storytelling. Her previous directorial work includes Seconds, a sports drama starring Vusi Kunene and Mmabatho Mogomotsi, which premiered on Amazon Prime on June 2, 2023. Seconds garnered five SAFTA nominations, including Best Feature Film, and won Best Lead Actor and Best Supporting Lead Actor. Beyond directing, Liese has contributed as a writer to leading female-centered Showmax series, including Troukoors and, more recently, WYFIE. She was selected for the Pavillon Afriques Accelerator Program at the Marché du Film in Cannes in 2023, where she pitched at the film market. Committed to pushing the boundaries of storytelling in both fiction and documentary, Liese continues to advocate for greater representation and explore complex human narratives in cinematic form.

FILMOGRAPHY
Seconds — Fiction, 89 min, 2023

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
Seconds
— Best Actor & Best Supporting Actor SAFTAS 2024

Free Women Films (FWF) is a leading, multi-award-winning South African production company specializing in fiction, TV dramas, and non-fiction storytelling. Our recent documentary, Music is My Life – Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, has been submitted as South Africa’s official entry for both the Best International Film and Best Documentary Feature at the 96th Academy Awards. This co-production between South Africa and the UK highlights our dedication to global partnerships. FWF’s work has premiered at prestigious festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, Berlinale, IDFA, and over 20 other international festivals. Our productions have reached audiences on platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, SABC, BBC, ZDF/ARTE, CANAL+, NHK, YLE, Sky Arts, and MNET, among others. We are proud of our award-winning legacy, having received accolades at Reims France, IDFA Amsterdam, Fespaco, ZIFF, DIFF, and Carthage, and winning seven SAFTAs for When We Were Black. As a production house, we are not only storytellers but also pioneers in building cross-border collaborations. Three of our films—The Number, Disco Africa, and Sew the Winter to My Skin—have been funded by the World Cinema Fund (WCF). In 2013, our documentary Nelson Mandela, The Myth and Me received the Special Jury Award at IDFA, further strengthening our global presence. Carolyn Carew was the supervising producer on Yellowbone Entertainment’s first feature film, Sew the Winter To My Skin, which was submitted to the 91st Academy Awards as SA submission. Our deep-rooted commitment to African cinema and youth outreach is evidenced through a decade of campaigns spanning 38 African countries. In television, we’ve produced the highly successful 90 Plein Street (6 seasons) and When We Were Black (7 SAFTAs). Since 1992, we have been actively transforming the South African film industry through training and development programs, while also co-producing with international partners to leverage equity finance, soft funds, and the DTIC film incentive schemes. FWF is a fully female-owned, Level 2 BBBEE company, led by Judi Nwokedi (Executive Chair), Carolyn Carew(Producer), and Tsholo Mashile (Producer), based in Johannesburg, South Africa. https://www.freewomenfilms.co.za/