THE new local thriller, Mind Games, premiered last Thursday at Ster Kinekor 105 Eastgate in Harare with award-winning writer and director, Charles Mawungwa, saying the low-cost movie proved that economic difficulties were not a factor.
BY ANESU MUSHAWATU
Mawungwa told NewsDay Life & Style that the movie was produced with a minimum cast and location on a very low budget.
“The idea behind this was to inspire fellow filmmakers that, yes, we have nothing in terms of resources, but that should not stop us from making great films that can be premiered in the world,” he said.
“You don’t have to make another Black Panther or Avengers, but you can take advantage of technology and use whatever is in our means and come up with an award-winning movie,” he said.
Mawungwa said the thriller — which was produced by his wife, Thandi — is an adaptation of the 2011 short film of the same title, which scooped the Outstanding Production Award at National Arts Merit Awards 2011 and has also bagged international awards.
“We won Best Zimbabwean Film at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival then we took it to India were it scooped Best Narrative Feature at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival then Best Editing at the Five Continents International Film Festival before it was the finalist at Stars Hollywood Film Festival,” he said.
Mawungwa said the budget was initially estimated at $500, but they ended up using only $380. This was because they used natural lighting, a Nikon D5 camera and a minimal crew.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Set in Harare’s low density suburb of Newlands, Mind Games is a psychological thriller of a man tortured by guilt. He meets a psychopathic killer, who forces him to revisit and conquer his personal demons in order to save his only daughter.
The main character, Sam’s guilt over the death of his son led him on a dark secret life, which destroyed his relationship with his family. However, when he goes to work, he becomes a victim of a genius psychopath known as Ex, who takes him through a series of tests that inadvertently force him to revisit his dark secrets and resolve his personal demons.
The movie is a Reelnet Multimedia production, with soundtracks from Hope Masike and Lindsay and the cast features Sandra Chawabvunza, Liz Dziva and Tendai Musungo and others.
