FILM INDUSTRY DISRUPTOR

MMAKGOSI Anita Tau is a big name in Botswana’s filmmaking industry. She is all about breaking barriers, shattering glass ceilings and making a positive impact in the world.

Currently completing her Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Film at Syracuse University, Tau has made a name for herself as a poet, filmmaker and mental health activist. The Voice reporter, LEUNGO MOKGWATHI, sat down with the all-rounder to explore her life in the creative industry and the impression she continues to make internationally.

When did you know that making films was your calling?

At the age of 5, I was cast as Simba for a theatre production called The Lion King. At the age of 8, my crew and I won the first KTV Talent Show. My first poem was published when I was 9. I danced and wrote, landing on stages across Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Ghana and the United States of America. After my Spoken Word Poetry performance in 2015, I walked out of a Festival stage to a college stall and applied for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Live Performance with AFDA College, Botswana.

What was your first short film about?

My first film was called Trafficque and its theme was human trafficking.

What kind of impact do you desire to make with

your film productions?

Through my films, I am amplifying the voices of vulnerable and marginalised people subjected to deep suffering. I am also preserving undocumented historical narratives and helping Africans, and Africans in the diaspora, to envision a hopeful rather than a fearful future.