One thing about this wonderful country? We believe in a public holiday. It’s a tradition as old as our democracy that if we have a reason to celebrate we are taking it!
I was born on a public holiday so my love for paid days off is stronger than words can describe. Second only to my love for film.
You see I was born on 16 June and for as long as I can remember, once a year on my birthday my family would turn the TV on and enjoy the annual tradition of watching Leleti Khumalo portray the titular character of Sarafina (if you know you know)
So imagine my excitement when the 041 Online magazine received an invite from the Nelson Mandela Film Forum to attend an open day, combining two of my favourite things. Days off and local cinema.
The open day consisted of a series of speakers aligned to the film forum itself, a legal representative working in the entertainment law space, members of the board of the forum, and a showing of two locally produced films which I will briefly summarise below.
The forum represents change and growth in our city’s cultural scene. With representatives in 6 districts throughout the Eastern Cape, the Nelson Mandela Bay Film Forum’s mission is to bolster the local film industry by sharing skills, knowledge, and resources to share our stories with the world in a way that is meaningful and most importantly, profitable.
A story that stuck with me came from the soft-spoken dreadlocked chairman who stood up in front of us and told his story. His story is a microcosm of the local entertainment industry. From getting R700.00 per placement as a talent agent, he epitomizes the mentality of underpaying local talent for doing the same job that somebody from a larger market could do for 10x the rate.
His story made me think of all the creatives I’ve seen doing favours like that for others, not realising that they have accidentally created the start of a career by sending a couple of messages and making a few phone calls. There was an emphasis on protecting the creative, mention of creatives being exploited saw the whole room nod in agreement. We all had someone steal from us before without proper payment or credit. We all knew what it was and yet, nobody in the room looked hurt or angry. We all understand that creatives will create.
The forum is focused on bringing creators together with business professionals in the creative space to speed up the process of gaining funding and support to turn your ideas into reality while helping creatives protect their intellectual property from the soulless and uninspired chequebook holders that help turn dreams into reality. Tempted to pitch my own ideas I chose to use this first meeting as a fact-finding and learning experience. I wanted to know what the vision was, what the goal for this organisation is and where they see themselves going in the future and I am happy to report that the bones are good here, the foundation is so solid and there is nowhere to go but up for the NMBFF… But I’m pitching at the next meeting for sure!
Invited as guests were writers (myself) Actors, directors, film students and multi-medium artists who were either looking to start their careers or level up their careers and this forum was a perfect space for it.
At the end of the open day, we had a light networking session which I spent no time at as I had to rush back and hug my daughter real quick as a result of:
1. Sela (Drink) Directed by Rafieka Davis (member of NMBFF and speaker at the event)
Set in the Joe Slovo township in Gqeberha, “Sela” tells the story of alcoholism from a child’s perspective. It follows Kamva (10) who acts as the man of the house to his two sisters and alcoholic mother. His father (who is absent in the film due to his needing to work) tells a story without any lines or screen time. A throwaway line at the end of the film referring to him tells the story of what the real cost of a live-in employee is. This subtle and masterful exposition lets the viewer in on the plight of the underprivileged youth in underserved communities without coming off as preachy and overbearing.
Sela is a true story told by the star (Kamva) who thankfully was able to find safety through social services who were able to remove Kamva and his sisters from their mother, a once loving and involved parent who lost herself to alcoholism and almost cost her children their lives through starvation and alcohol poisoning.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when this film finished and i had to run home and hug my daughter for 45 uninterrupted minutes after watching it.
Capped off by excellent cinematography, this film tells a real story from a real perspective and creates a conversation about our social conditions and the country we live in.
You can watch it here:
2. Umona (directed by Vuyokazi Gentsu)
Set in rural Peddie, Umona tells a story of passion, hate, privilege and jealousy.
It follows Scorpion, a well-off young man who has dreams of playing professional football. His sister is played by Ms. Gentsu herself, eating up every bit of screen time she gets, Ms. Gentsu is the stand-out performer in this one.
The film covers the rivalry between Scorpion and King (one of the greatest haters in film history) as they play in the local league hoping to be scouted to a bigger club.
Extremely heavy on montage shots the film is a great piece about the power of lack and how scarcity of resources can drive otherwise sane people to do insane things. The film concludes with the presumed murder of Scorpion with his dream cut short and silenced forever.
Although amateur in its presentation the film tells a great story with great bits of natural-sounding dialogue. It draws you in enough to ignore the excessive ambient noise and clear lack of trained actors.
You can watch it here:
The Nelson Mandela Bay Film Forum has shown a proof of concept. Without help or support from major investors, it has shown that this province has stories to tell and continues to tell those stories in our own way.
Keep an eye out for the next event to be held on 24/11/2024 and get used to the name as you will be hearing more about them as they grow from strength to strength!
Mvume Ndimba is a podcaster and writer who describes himself as a “young professional, new father, and lifelong conspiracy theorist, who’s seen everything the city has to offer and eagerly seeks out more.” His podcast, Before You Go, serves as a window into the things he finds interesting, while his column takes an “out of the ordinary approach to ordinary things.” He challenges his readers by saying, “You might not always agree with me, but ask yourself… did I lie?”
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