.. copy and pasted from the following URL.. copy and pasted from a website titled "AP".. article written by Lindsey Bahr .. article dated to July the ninth, in the year two thousand twenty five .. .. .. .. .. https://apnews.com/article/embeth-davidtz-dont-lets-go-to-dogs-tonight-a2cd3327724d28c68d84759ba0543de2

Entertainment Embeth Davidtz drew on her childhood in Africa to adapt Alexandra Fuller’s memoir By LINDSEY BAHR Updated 9:20 AM EST, July 9, 2025 Comments In 1974, when it seemed as though everyone was leaving South Africa, Embeth Davidtz’s family was going back. Davidtz, a familiar presence in films and television for over 30 years with memorable roles in everything from “Schindler’s List” to “Matilda,” was born in the United States to white, South African parents. When she was 8, they decided to return during a time of upheaval. Although the transition from “innocent New Jersey” was hard, it was also a life-making, character- and imagination-building experience that she’s still processing to this day. It’s where she grew up. It’s where she began acting. And it’s where she’d return decades later to direct her first film, “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight,” a poetic and deeply personal adaptation of Alexandra Fuller’s memoir about growing up during the Bush War in Zimbabwe, which was then Rhodesia. The film, which was widely praised at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals for its deft handling of complex themes and for the discovery of young newcomer Lexi Venter, opens Friday in limited release and expands nationwide July 18. “The sun rises and sets on her writing,” Davidtz said in an interview with The Associated Press. “If anything works, it’s because of that memoir.” Becoming a director in her mid-50s This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Lexi Venter in a scene from "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight." (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Lexi Venter in "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight." (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Zikhona Bali in a scene from "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight." (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Zikhona Bali from "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight." (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Like so many people, especially those who lived in Africa in the 1970s and ‘80s, Davidtz devoured the book when it came out in 2001. But it would take more than 15 years to start seriously thinking about a film. Davidtz was refocusing after a little hiatus from acting: She’d survived breast cancer, raised children and was reflecting on parts of the book she loved, like Fuller’s mother, a complex figure who struggled with trauma, alcohol and mental health. Davidtz, who is now 59, could have hardly predicted that this journey would lead to her writing, directing and producing her first feature as well. “It felt like an imperative. It felt like a call,” she said. “Once I dug my teeth into this, I felt like I couldn’t not tell it.” The adaptation was slow-going but rewarding as Davidtz sprinkled some of her own stories and recollections in and the focus and structure of the story started to reveal itself. A pivotal revelation came four years in: It had to be from the child’s point of view. “I wasn’t thinking about directing it, but at the end, I thought, you know what? I know what kind of shots I like. I know what sort of films I like. I could shoot this so simply,” she said. “I need to take control of this because if I give it away to someone else, they’re not going to tell the story that I’m trying to tell.” Finding a real child, not a child actor This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Lexi Venter in a scene from "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight." (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Lexi Venter plays Bobo, the 8-year-old center of the film. (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Davidtz was inspired by Terrence Malick films like “Badlands” and “Days of Heaven,” and the young girls’ narrations, as well as Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun,” in which the end of a colonial regime is seen through the eyes of a young, white boy. “People say, ‘Oh, voiceover is so lazy,’” Davidtz said. “But with a child you hear the quirks, you hear the offbeat, you hear what is wrong and the point of view that is skewed.” To play Bobo, the 8-year-old center of the film, Davidtz did not want a polished child actor. She wanted a real kid — a wild, little barefoot child, unspoiled and unsophisticated, who could maybe ride a motorbike. They eventually resorted to a Facebook post which led them to Venter, age 7. “It was such a project of love and torture,” she said. “It was so very hard to direct a 7-year-old who doesn’t act.” Venter wasn’t given a script. Davidtz instead played games, would give her some lines to say and then pour through the footage to find the most unfiltered moments to sprinkle into the film with the overlaying voiceover — a yawn, the picking of a wedgie, the things kids just do. “I got a few gray hairs from that, but I love her. She’s perfect,” Davidtz said. “I worry that I have brought her into the world in a way that, cinematically, people will seek her out. I want her to be left to be the wild little creature that she is.” A South African cast and crew This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows actor-director Embeth Davidtz on the set of "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight." (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Actor-director Embeth Davidtz on the set. (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Embeth Davidtz in a scene from "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight." (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Embeth Davidtz in a scene. (Coco Van Oppens/Sony Pictures Classics via AP) Filming took place in South Africa as Zimbabwe was too unstable and didn’t have the infrastructure for film. And Davidtz filled the production with an entirely South African crew and cast, including Zikhona Bali as Sarah, who works for Bobo’s family. Authenticity was paramount to Davidtz, from the music to the props and costumes, many of which she sourced herself, including a tattered silk robe she found on eBay. “I remember someone saying, why don’t you cast Morgan Freeman and bring him out. I said, ‘No, it’s got to be the real thing. It’s got to be the real people,’” she said. “Everyone carries the burden of what was there.” She’s acutely aware that South Africa is not Zimbabwe and the dismantling of white rule differed in each, but there are similarities, too. It allowed her to ask questions about what happens to children surrounded by violence and generational racism through Bobo’s lens. Though she worried about the optics of telling the story from a white child’s point of view, she also didn’t waver. “That’s what I remember and that’s what I saw,” she said. “There’s a way of informing and telling what you saw that can teach. My connection to my past, as risky as it was, there was nothing to be lost.” Early audiences seem to be receiving it the way she hoped. For Davidtz, it hardly matters what happens now — awards, box office, whatever. “I don’t think I was ever the wisest person about what I would choose material-wise or business-wise,” she said. “But it’s so great that I, at almost 60, got this chance to do this. Whatever ends up happening, it got made. That’s a miracle.” LINDSEY BAHR LINDSEY BAHR Bahr has been a film writer and critic for The Associated Press since 2014. twitter instagram mailto Conversation All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Every post is reviewed before appearing publicly so there may be a delay before it is visible. Jump to log in or sign Up Start the conversation All Comments NEWEST Comments All Comments Active Conversations The following is a list of the most commented articles in the last 7 days. A trending article titled "Trump awards medals to the Kennedy Center honorees in an Oval Office ceremony" with 17 comments. President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Trump awards medals to the Kennedy Center honorees in an Oval Office ceremony 17 A trending article titled "Trump administration plays up pipe bomb suspect's arrest. Jan. 6 violence goes unmentioned" with 10 comments. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel look at each other during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Trump administration plays up pipe bomb suspect's arrest. Jan. 6 violence goes unmentioned 10 Powered by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor who performed in 'Mortal Kombat,' has died at 75 Tokyo-born actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has died at 75. He was known for his roles in the film “Mortal Kombat" and TV series “The Man in the High Castle.” AP News Police video shows Luigi Mangione said he didn't want to talk. They kept asking questions Minutes after police approached Luigi Mangione in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, he told an officer he didn’t want to talk. AP News Amazon Is Losing Money As Ontario Shoppers Are Canceling Prime for This Clever Hack Online Shopping Tools Advertisement: The Biggest Deal in Dragon’s Den History Just Happened notesocean Advertisement: Dementia Has Been Linked to These Common Foods. Are You Eating Them? Cognitive Times Advertisement: Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It? HealthFrontline.org Advertisement: A Hat Made to Withstand Long Hours in the Winter Cold. FANYIL Advertisement: What Daytime Drowsiness Could Be Telling You About Your Brain HealthFrontline.org Advertisement: Windows Users Didn't Know This Simple Trick To Block All Ads (Do It Now) Safe Tech Tips Advertisement: This smart tech will be seen everywhere in 2025. People across Canada are calling it a must-have for 2025 Heatwave Advertisement: Lotions Won’t Tighten Crepe Skin! You Only Need This 1 Drugstore Item Health - News Advertisement: Why Everyone Is Ditching Netflix for This $39 Gadget TellyStick Advertisement: Memory Loss After 40? It Might Not Be "Normal Aging"! Check Now Cognitive Times Advertisement: Trump administration will expand travel ban to more than 30 countries, Noem says Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the Trump administration is expanding its travel ban to more than 30 countries. AP News Vanity Fair parts ways with Olivia Nuzzi amid Robert F. Kennedy Jr. controversy Vanity Fair is parting ways with West Coast editor Olivia Nuzzi amid controversy over her past coverage of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. AP News Plastic Surgeons Reveal: Forget Collagen, Use This Household Item Instead Health - News Advertisement: Always Cover Your Keys in Aluminium Foil (Here's Why) Life Savvy Hub Advertisement: Estimate Your Reverse Mortgage (55+ Only) CHIP Reverse Mortgage Advertisement: 2026 World Cup group schedule United States, Mexico, Canada FIRST ROUND GROUP A Thursday, June 11 Mexico City South Korea vs. AP News A seal galumphs into a bar. The bartender says 'Grab the salmon!' A baby seal has caused chaos by wandering into a bar in Richmond, New Zealand. The furry visitor, below the legal drinking age, sampled salmon from the dinner menu on Sunday before being bundled out of the pub by rangers. AP News Those who suffer from knee and hip pain should read this NEWS CASA Advertisement: Wrap Foil Around Your Front Doorknob When Alone, Here's Why LifeSorted 101 Advertisement: We are closing our handbags shop forever... Mernes London Advertisement: Most read Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., makes a statement to reporters without taking questions following a vote in the Senate to move forward with a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government through Jan. 30, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Speaker Johnson pleads with Republicans to keep concerns private after tumultuous week The Supreme Court weighs another step in favor of broad presidential power sought by Trump Trump administration will expand travel ban to more than 30 countries, Noem says Redistricting forced a California GOP congressman to weigh a Texas move. He tells AP why he’s not College student deported during Thanksgiving trip could’ve fought removal as a kid, US says The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. Download the AP News Mobile Apps From AP News About Contact Us Accessibility Statement Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information CA Notice of Collection The Associated Press ap.org Careers Advertise with us AP News Values and Principles AP’s Role in Elections AP Leads AP Definitive Source Blog AP Images Spotlight Blog AP Stylebook AP News Code of Conduct Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. twitter instagram facebook