VETERAN film maker Eddie Ndhlovu has set his eyes on growing the local film industry by setting up one of the biggest independent production studios in Africa, patterned on the trends in Denmark and South Africa, NewsDay has established.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
Ndhlovu, who is also the executive producer of Zimbabwe’s popular high-definition soap opera Wenera, said his mission was made possible after he forged relations with international film makers.
“The future looks bright for my production company [Talent of Steel] as we are working towards setting up one of the biggest independent production studios in Africa here in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“I will be soon travelling to Denmark where I will have the opportunity to visit some television studios across that country, with a stopover in South Africa learning some ropes of the trade to add on the already available skill.”
The top producer has taken his art across the borders, with some scenes of his productions shot in South Africa and Namibia.
“Although the last half of year 2016 was not just exciting, but also worth talking about, I made a number of worthy and important relationships including MMX Rentals who supported us with lighting and sound gear through my new friend Eric Witzgall who is based in Copenhagen, Denmark,” he said.
He said Wenera has become one of the most influential local television shows, adding that they were working hard to make 2017 a better year for the production.
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“Wenera has been an eye opener for both the production team as well as the cast. We have managed to produce a number of good quality actors that I believe can match or even surpass other television actors across Africa,” he said.
He said actors including Arnold Gara (T1), Zolile Makeleni (Tsotsi), Fatima Makunganya (Tanya), Tinashe Pundo (Gugu) and Conrad Mwanawashe (Humba) had become household names.
He said the studios being used for Season 3 offered the opportunity to match popular SA productions like Generations, Muvhango and Tinsel.
We are proud of Wenera because Zimbabweans have accepted their own story that we are telling with the programme,” he said.
Ndhlovu said they produced a 25-minute pilot in January for an upcoming television telenovela, Mutapa, which must be coming out around next month or in May, while on a new musical, HARAMBE, a re-make of a television drama, Revelations, screened on ZTV last year.
