By Darren Gilbert

Not that it bothers him all that much. Born in Vereeniging, a small city outside Johannesburg, Buitendach had expected to find himself living it up in France or The Netherlands.

“I graduated film school at a time in our country’s history where the film industry literally shut down,” he explains. “It was a time for social upliftment rather than art and the prospects for an Afrikaans graduate were pretty slim. So I packed my bags, and with enough money to survive for two months, I moved to London.”

It was a move to the unknown as much as it was one to further his career. Buitendach didn’t know a single person in the UK. However, he did have one valuable skill: he could cut and edit celluloid film. This was at a time when film houses were switching to digital and tape systems. This skill also secured him a job as an assistant film editor, which allowed him to work on projects for film heavyweights such as Werner Hertzog, Wim Wenders, and Lars von Trier.

The fact that the above directors are all European should be indication enough that Hollywood wasn’t on Buitendach’s radar. That is, until Indoor Fireworks came along.

He explains; “I had the incredible opportunity through a Dutch post production whiz, Hans van Helden, to direct the world’s first fully digital film.” The title was Indoor Fireworks, a black comedy short film about two small time crooks who planned the robbery of a fireworks factory. It had its premiere at the LA Film Festival, after which he was headhunted.

However, today, 10-plus years on from his move to Hollywoodland, he still believes it’s a tough environment.

“I’m not sure I’ve even broken in – but if surviving whilst doing what you’ve passionate about qualifies, then I’d say I’m still chipping away at the padlock on that studio- and agency-controlled gate,” he says. “It’s an incredibly tough time for independent film and Hollywood would much rather take a chance on a newcomer that can be moulded into its cookie cutter ways than an independent artist or provocateur.”

That, however, isn’t his style. Instead, Buitendach looks for film projects that are written with real artistic integrity and passion, regardless of the budget. It also has to provide him with a specific challenge. A case in point is When The Road Runs Out. Directed by Buitendach, it is the first feature film to be shot in Equatorial Guinea.

“When the opportunity arose to go and film in a country where no one had ever made a feature film, I asked myself, ‘How many places like this are left on the planet?’. I felt like one of my heroes, Werner Hertzog, and knew I had no choice – I had to do it.” The fact that he was able to persuade Isaach de Bankolé to join the journey and work with Stelio Savante, who he rates as South Africa’s greatest actor, certainly helped the process.

Of course, he hasn’t limited himself to directing since moving to America. He’s done as much, if not more, work as a producer and film editor. However, for Buitendach, the differences between the three disciplines are minor. “To me, it is all filmmaking – creativity never really exists in a solipsistic bubble,” he says. “They say a writer or producer is the first author of a film, the director the second, and an editor the third.”

Ask him to choose a favourite, though, and he’d pick directing every time. “It appeals to my inner control freak,” he jokes.

As for what’s to come directing-wise, Buitendach’s schedule is already full.

“I’m a few weeks away from finishing my third feature film as a director called Selling Isobel, a thriller about sex trafficking with a unique true life twist. I also have two collaborations with Christian Piers Betley; an action thriller set to film in South Africa in 2017 and a horror drama set in Cambodia.” Then add a project based on the life of the spy who inspired James Bond to the mix.

Buitendach may not believe he has broken into Hollywood yet. But so what? He’s making films in Hollywood. And he’s getting awards for them. How many people can say that?

For more information, visit rudolfbuitendach.com. Alternatively, connect with him on Twitter.