AT THY CALL played at the 2008 Cannes film Festival, and has won numerous awards for best short film, including best cinematography and script. The film has come under heavy criticism by ex Afrikaans servicemen whom feel the film paints them in a "bad" light.
The actors were sent on a 4 day "Vasbyt" bootcamp. Trained by an ex SADF corporal, Dean Clark, who actually served in Angola. Clark gave the actors the worst 4 days of their lives, but by the end of the bootcamp, they feared yet respected him. The actors were not told who would play Corporal Pienaar in the film, and were horrified to learn that the much hated Corporal Clark who took them for basic training before principle photography, was actually going to play the corporal in the film. Dos Santos did this to maximize the reality of the situation and try get true feelings from the actors. The fear you see in their eyes on set, is real. The never mixed actor shoot and Corporal Clark kept them in line throughout the film.