A local movie titled Playing Warriors, which premiered at a red carpet cocktail in Harare late last year, will on Sunday be screened in the United States as part of the New York African Film Festival.
Award-winning filmmaker Rumbi Katedza, who wrote and directed the film, said she was grateful to have the movie shown abroad.
“It is exciting to have the play screened during the festival and I am also happy that it will also be screened at the Sonoma Film Festival in California,” said Katedza.
Set in modern-day Harare, Playing Warriors is a romantic comedy that features four ambitious young women and the challenges they face in balancing traditions and social norms with their modern and independent lifestyles.
The film, produced last year by Pangolin Films and Mai Jai Films, is also up for an award at the African Movie Academy Awards where musician-actress Kudzai Sevenzo, who stars as Nyarai, has been nominated for best actress in a leading role.
Sevenzo left Harare on Tuesday to attend the New York African Film festival and witness the film screening at the Lincoln Centre. She will be joined by Tendai Musona who stars as Maxine in the film.
At the same weekend, the film will also feature at the 8th Images of Black Women Film Festival at Tricycle Cinema in London.
Playing Warriors features a celebrity cast of Sevenzo, Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana, Musona and Nothando Nobengula as Mati. To complete love scenes in the film are John Pfumojena as fun-loving Che and Edmore Sandifolo as Leslie.
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Other acclaimed actors in the production include Walter Muparutsa and Elizabeth Nyanguridza who also featured as Nyarai’s parents and other humorous cameo roles were from Gavin Peters, Edgar Langeveldt, Michael Kudakwashe and Ben Mahaka.
Since its glamourous premiere in Harare, Playing Warriors has been on the move — travelling to the Göteborg International Film Festival in Sweden and the Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles where Katedza was nominated for a best director award.
“In May, the film will appear at the prestigious Vues d’Afrique Film Festival in Montreal, Canada and also journey to Finland for the Helsinki African Film Festival,” said Katedza.
