The film is about the life of a gangster, or 'Tsotsi'

Illegal DVDs of the film, about the life of a young gangster, are on sale on the streets.

Both suspects are people who had access to the cutting room where the film was being edited, reports say.

Director Gavin Hood has said the DVDs, selling at a quarter of the usual retail price, must have been made from stolen copies of the unfinished film.

The two suspects were due to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Crowds

The pirate DVDs give the film, about the life of a young car-jacker, a different ending from the one being shown on the big screen.

Gavin Hood (r) condemned the pirates

The film, with a South African director and cast, was shot in Johannesburg and has drawn crowds to local cinemas, after winning the best foreign language film at the Oscars.

"When you buy a ticket and when you buy a genuine DVD, you are an investor in South African film as your money is going back to people who invest in local films," Mr Hood told the Sunday Times newspaper when news of the pirate DVDs emerged.

"But when you buy a DVD you are giving your money to criminals who are in the business of investing in nothing but their greedy souls."

The pirate DVD is selling on the streets for less than 50 rand ($9) - commercial DVDs sell for over 200 rand in South Africa.

A cinema ticket in South Africa costs up to 38 rand.

The pirate disc was made from a rough edit that was apparently taken illegally from the edit room while editing was still under way. It lacks the full soundtrack and colour grading.