South African production company Totem Zea has joined forces with Netherlands-based PRPL to develop “Third Wheel,” a psychological thriller selected for presentation at the prestigious Frontières Co-Production Market during the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal.
The feature, written and directed by South African filmmaker Zoe Ramushu, blends psychological suspense with a broader exploration of identity, belonging and the enduring impact of colonial legacies in contemporary Africa.
Produced by Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt for Totem Zea and Ellen Havenith for PRPL, the project brings together two production companies with growing international profiles. Totem Zea is known for championing African stories, including the comedy Real Estate Sisters. At the same time, PRPL has produced internationally acclaimed titles such as When It Melts and Tiger Stripes, both recognised at major global film festivals.
The narrative revolves around Thina, a 26-year-old black surgeon raised by a wealthy white family with her biological mother working in the home. While she prepares for her wedding at her adoptive family’s secluded estate in the Drakensberg mountains of South Africa, a weekend of celebration and family and friends slowly turns into psychological terror, forcing her to deal with disturbing truths about love, loyalty and control.
In Third Wheel, Ramushu speaks metaphorically of post-colonial Africa, where the relationships between power, identity, history and historical privilege are explored through the personal dynamics in an adoptive family. The narrative is a psychological thriller that delves into the impact of unhealed pasts on modern-day relationships and notions of home.
The director has also highlighted marriage as a central theme, noting that weddings often bring together every aspect of a person’s identity—family, career, childhood and partnership—creating a setting where hidden tensions and unresolved conflicts can emerge in unexpected ways.
It is expected that the project will commence production in 2027. It has already received development and production assistance from the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Netherlands Film Fund (NFF)’s joint Thuthuka Co-Development Fund. It is hoped that its inclusion in the Frontières Co-Production Market will bring additional possibilities to obtain international financing and distribution contracts.
