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BlackTree TV's Brooke Christopher sits down to talk with Academy Award® Winners Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon to talk about their new picture, Invictus. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people, in a way that little else does. Nelson Mandela The 1995 World Cup Final was, to most people around the world, little more than a thrilling rugby match. But to the people of South Africa, it was a turning point in their history—a shared experience that helped to heal the wounds of the past even as it gave new hope for the future. The architect of this benchmark event was the nations president, Nelson Mandela. Its builders were the members of South Africas rugby team, the Springboks, led by their captain, Francois Pienaar. Directed by Clint Eastwood, Invictus chronicles how President Mandela and Francois Pienaar joined forces to turn their individual hopes—the president, to unite his country; the captain, to lead the nations team to World Cup glory—into one shared goal with the motto One team, one country. In the film, Mandela calls upon Pienaar to lead his team to greatness, citing a poem that was a source of inspiration and strength to him during his years in prison. It is later revealed that the poem is Invictus, by William Ernest Henley. The title is translated to mean unconquered, which, Eastwood says, doesnt represent any one character element of the story. It takes on a broader meaning over the course of the film. Morgan Freeman stars in the role of Nelson Mandela and also serves as an executive producer on the film. This is an important story about a world-shaking event that too few people know about, he states. I cannot think of any moment in history when a nation coalesced so suddenly and so completely. I was proud to have the opportunity to tell this story. And when you have the chance to tell it with Clint Eastwoods abilities...its something you just have to do. As Invictus opens, Nelson Mandela—a man who had spent 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid—is elected president of a South Africa that is still bitterly divided. Though the unjust system has officially ended, the long-held racial lines between people cannot easily be erased. With his country teetering on the brink of implosion, President Mandela sees hope in an unlikely place: the rugby field. With South Africa poised to host the World Cup Finals, Mandela looks to unite the country behind their national team, the Springboks. Eastwood notes, This story takes place at a critical point in Mandelas presidency. I think he demonstrated great wisdom in incorporating sport to reconcile his country. He knows he needs to pull everybody together, to find a way to appeal to their national pride—one thing, perhaps the only thing, they have in common at that time. He knows the white population and the black population will ultimately have to work together as a team or the country will not succeed, so he shows a lot of creativity using a sports team as a means to an end. A BlackTree Media Production Footage courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures Segment Produced by Jamaal Finkley On Camera Talent Brooke Christopher for more info log onto http://www.blacktree.tv