Women should take part in the male-dominated film industry as a way of empowering themselves, an official at a Bulawayo-based filmmaking project has said.
Noma Muleya, Bhayi’ Skopo Film Project producer and marketing officer, said women have to rise up and challenge their male counterparts by taking part in filmmaking.
“It is high time that women left the kitchen and did more than cooking. We should make a breakthrough in the male-dominated industries,” said Muleya.
The Bhayi’Skopo project currently has an enrolment of 13 young women who are learning filmmaking. “The aim is to produce our own films that star women only,” she said.
The group is working on four short films namely Ghetto New Year by Juliet Magara, Valentine’s Burial by Mary Mpofu, Heart Beats by Nozipho Moyo and Freeman done by Erika Gwetai. Shooting of the some of the films commences next week on Tuesday in Bulawayo.
Muleya said shooting is set to run until August. She said upon completion of the project, one of the films would be sent to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) so that the whole nation may be able to see the female film makers’ talents.
The project is however being set back by lack of sponsorship, she said.
“We would like to appeal to the corporate sector to partner with us in this project because it is meant to uplift women folk. We would also appreciate assistance from those in the transport sector so that we could be able to ferry our cast from one point to the other in the city,” she said.
