Jamie Uys

Jacobus Johannes Uys (30 May 1921 – 29 January 1996), better known as Jamie Uys, was a South African film director. Prior to his foray into film, Uys was a math teacher in his hometown of Boksburg. He then married Hettie, a fellow math teacher and the couple started farming and opening trading posts along the Palala River. He was later appointed local magistrate and Justice of the Peace "Every Tuesday I crossed the wildest country and swam throug... more

Jacobus Johannes Uys (30 May 1921 – 29 January 1996), better known as Jamie Uys, was a South African film director. Prior to his foray into film, Uys was a math teacher in his hometown of Boksburg. He then married Hettie, a fellow math teacher and the couple started farming and opening trading posts along the Palala River. He was later appointed local magistrate and Justice of the Peace "Every Tuesday I crossed the wildest country and swam through rivers to get to the police post where I could hold court". He made his debut as a film director in 1951 with the Afrikaans-language film Daar doer in die bosveld. He directed 24 films in total. Uys received the 1981 Grand Prix at the Festival International du Film de Comedy Vevey for The Gods Must Be Crazy, and in 1974 he received the Hollywood Foreign Press Association award for best documentary for Beautiful People. The two Beautiful People films were documentaries about the plant and animal life in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and... less