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PRESS RELEASE 2

19 June 2000
Ref: Granny 2.
Contact: Marc Schwinges
Phone: (011) 380-3232
Fax: (011) 380-3233
E-Mail: grannylee@underdog.co.za
For immediate release.

GRANNY LEE LIVES ON IN CYBERSPACE

Underdog Entertainment is pleased to announce the launch of its Granny Lee website in conjunction with the broadcast of its outrageous new documentary film, Metamorphosis: The Remarkable Journey of Granny Lee.

Leonard Christian Du Plooy was born in 1919 to a mixed race ("coloured"), working class family. The first part of his life was spent in his hometown of Kimberley and also Durban, as a teacher. Then he changed his mind.

In his fifties, he moved to Johannesburg and became the city's most famous club-goer and drag queen. Due to a skin condition he was now able to pass himself off as white, which held many advantages in Apartheid South Africa. By outfitting himself with outrageous costumes, a foul mouth, heavy makeup and a retinue of young admirers, the pensioner became "Granny Lee", Queen of the Discos.

The Granny Lee website is an entertaining and interactive homage to the fabulous legend of Lee and a virtual extension of the documentary itself. The site offers a number of features to the web-surfer.

  • - Ask Granny Lee: Outrageous advice on love and life from beyond the grave.
  • - Granny Lee in her own words: quotes to remember.
  • - The Costumes: a virtual runway of Lee's trashy fashion sense.
  • - Granny Lee desktop images.
  • - Audio downloads of Lee's inimitable voice
  • - Download the documentary trailer.
  • - Further information on the documentary itself, the "making of" and a synopsis.
  • - Media professionals can also access print quality images and press releases directly off the site in the "press" division under "the documentary" section of the site.

Underdog Entertainment is an acclaimed, progressive, South African film, television and new media entertainment content Development and Production Company working both in traditional media such as television as well as new media such as the Internet. Underdog uses creativity to deliver powerful, surprising and effective messages to film, television and Internet audiences around the world.

"The site is an integral part of the Granny Lee experience and in fact of all our entertainment projects. Increasingly, the Internet will play a primary role in not only marketing these projects, but also distributing films to both niche and broader audiences." explains producer Marc Schwinges.

"We hope to expose the legend of Granny Lee internationally, both with the site and the documentary. Granny Lee always saw herself as a star. We're helping her make that a reality - even in Cyberspace. I think she would approve," laughs Luiz DeBarros, director of both the documentary and the website.

Underdog also produced the acclaimed two-hour television documentary Death (now distributed internationally). Death won three awards at the prestigious 1998 Avante Awards, including Gold in the documentary category. It was the highest rated local documentary on SABC 3 in history at the time.

The Granny Lee website can be accessed at http://www.grannylee.co.za

Metamorphosis: The Remarkable Journey of Granny Lee airs on the 30th of July 2000 at 9.00pm on SABC 3

For further publicity material or more information on this project please contact: Producer Marc Schwinges at Underdog Entertainment:

Tel: +27 (011) 380-3232

Fax: +27 (011) 380-3233

E-Mail: grannylee@underdog.co.za

WWW: http://www.grannylee.co.za

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Ruth Barter plays Granny Lee

© Underdog Entertainment 2000