ZIMBABWEANS in the United Kingdom have set out to bridge the void created by lack of Zimbabwean films.
SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
Of late, a number of films have been released by UK-based Zimbabweans signalling the effort, but this week, one of the Zimbabweans, Belinda Magejo Matemera said they were waking up to the fact that there was a large void when it came to Zimbabwean films.
“For a long time, it has all been about Nigeria and Ghana, but the Zimbabweans, especially in the UK, have been lately producing some good quality films,” she said from her UK base. “I know of a few that will be premiering before the end of this year and I think what sets us apart from the ‘Nollywood/Ghallywood’ is we still have a lot of original ideas that are interesting as well.”
Matemera features in a forthcoming production tilted Maria’s Vision that premieres on August 23 in the UK.
The film was co-written by Zimbabwean Myren Matsvimbo and Austin Kaluba.
It was directed and produced by Tendai Mudhliwa. She said the film looked at different lives of different people in that country.
“It basically looks at the life of a couple in the UK trying to survive without the legal documents and in the process of Maria trying to find herself, she faces losing her child to social services,” she said.
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Maria is played by Memory Savanhu, a Nigeria-based Zimbabwean actress with experience in Nollywood.
“I only play a small part in the movie. I call it blink and you miss me. But I play Mama Tsitsi, a businesswoman. In other words, I run a brothel where Nancy, who introduced Maria, also works,” she said.
“Mama Tsitsi is a no-nonsense Madame who is strict with her money. So yea, she runs a brothel.”
Asked whether the film would also touch on the lies that have been told about the UK bliss compared to the difficult conditions in that country for foreigners, she said: “I know life was hard a few years ago when people were still trying to sort out their papers.
“I do, however, know that things got better for a lot of people and most now have good jobs. But when it comes to children, I have heard a few cases of people who have lost their children to social services due to different reasons, but mainly neglect.”
She said Zimbabwean productions are a notch above most African productions because of originality.
“It is all about keeping it original. If you look at most Nigerian films, they are mostly about witchcraft and juju, but so far in Zimbabwe, we have stayed away from it and it is nice for film writers to tackle issues that actually happen in society,” Matemera said.
“For instance, Maria’s Vision shows the other side of UK life that people do not talk about.
“Another UK production [produced by Zimbabweans] I watched was The In-laws and again it showed another side of life in the diaspora. So I would just say to future film producers, keep it real, be original and make sure your product is of top quality production.”
Matemera has also written a television drama series titled My Girlfriends and I.
“My Girlfriends and I is also about life in the UK, but this time, it looks at the life of three single girls living together. So every episode is different, but we look at different issues that affect women and men as well,” she said.
“So we focus on and talk about relationships, work, studying and health issues like cancer and HIV. So it is kind of a comedy as well and some of the issues are inspired by my real experiences as well as those of friends and family.”
She, however, lamented the lack of funding for different films as most of the projects are self-funded, but said she hoped to send it to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation for screening.
