About 160 people turned out for the opening night of the 16th annual Zimbabwe International Film Festival, which screens films from Zimbabwe and around the world. The festival continues through Saturday with the same theme - 'The Universal African'.
“It’s a great way to reach out to a broader community and bring visibility to the filmmaking community here,” said Edward Chombe, co-ordinator of the Masvingo version of the film festival. “It’s a very positive, family-friendly event, and I think that’s important.”
The opening film was “Dust and fortunes,” which was received with a standing ovation by the crowd in attendance.
"This is the first ever film festival to be held in Masvingo in partnership with ZIFFT".
The Charles Austin Theatre served as opening night’s venue, and the ambiance was bolstered by the servings of cocktails in their Stage-Coach bar.
Friday’s event will be at the same venue with the same theme. Seven short films will be screened for competition: “Ngozi”, "Not yet titld" "Street Syndicate", "Mafia", "The Second sex", "The Salon" and “Hwindi,” the latter is a comedy loosely based on the life and times of a combi conductor.
“I’m really excited about this festival,” said Mike Banda, artistic director of Masvingo Drama Circle which runs the Charles Austin Theatre. “It’s a really important event that reflects activity in Masvingo.”
“However, our local filmmakers come out and fight the good fight for a better film environment in Zimbabwe and when they’re tired they end up having to go back to the drawing board and quietly resume other jobs,” he said. “That’s something we need to look at locally and on a broader level.”
Keeping with the theme, there will also be a Q&A session with award nominated director, Sydney Taivavashe.
“It’s just an awesome film festival lineup, not to be missed,” said Chombe.
The festival will conclude on Saturday 25 October 2014. Local and international films will be screened (“Sour Milk,” “Kaun Kitney”, “Ningen” among others) followed by the closing night film, “Nairobi half life,” about a young, aspiring actor from upcountry Kenya who dreams of becoming a success in the big city. In pursuit of this and to the chagrin of his brother and parents, he makes his way to Nairobi: the city of opportunity.
“I’m glad that we can bring these films,” said Chombe. “If it weren’t for this festival, these films would not be seen in Masvingo.”
He noted that the large turnout was a good sign that the film festival will continue to grow and gain support, and he hopes that next year they’ll be able to add more events or even bring directors to Masvingo to speak about their films.
“We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
Written by Unknown
Wezhira TV is the making, collection and showcasing of video products from the Masvingo province by various filmmakers.
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