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NewsDay

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Short film on xenophobia released

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SHIFT Media Solutions have released a short film which vividly depicts the excruciating pain faced by foreigners in recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa in a bid to enhance love between Africans and expose the negative impact of using violence as a solution.

SHIFT Media Solutions have released a short film which vividly depicts the excruciating pain faced by foreigners in recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa in a bid to enhance love between Africans and expose the negative impact of using violence as a solution.

Kennedy Nyavaya

The 40-minute-long production titled Aliens Beyond Boundaries stars a cast of four actors in a church setting where one Reverend Tsepo (Sinclair Tumpkin) is in a dilemma whether or not to hide foreigners seeking refuge during the attacks after serious death threats by local thug Johny K (Eric Zivanai).

In an interview with NewsDay, the film’s director of photography, Martin Manyange, said the story is centred on love depicting that violence does not solve problems.

“It is a story about love and shows people out there that we are all the same and the only minor differences are there because of language and demarcating borders between our countries,” said Manyange.

He also said that it has a great patriotic lesson to make people understand that the solutions are not in leaving their land of birth to search for greener pastures, but rather they should work tirelessly to create an environment they cherish.

“There is a great teaching in the end which shows people that they are needed more in their countries than where they have fled to,” he said.

Manyange, however, said despite having the idea to do a full movie based on the story in early January this year, before the recent attacks, they were subdued by the financial constraints.

“When I met Munashe Chitsiga (the scriptwriter) in January the story idea and concept were already there, but we could not do it without funds, but after the attacks we felt that now it is even more relevant so we cut the story short and did the best we could.

“We are currently negotiating with Mnet and other channels to make sure that the film is screened because it is a big lesson to the whole continent,” he said.

More than two million Zimbabweans among many other foreigners are believed to be in South Africa after they fled the country in search of better living conditions and locals there have accused them of taking their jobs resulting in the fatal attacks.