Sues of equality in the industry
gists, the nonprofit organisation is determined to dismantle stereotypes and be an advocacy organisation for women in film and television. It has proposed that a code of conduct be included in contracts and has set up mentorship programmes offering practical skills development and skills transfer. One campaign, launched earlier this year, is called “Girls go to Cinema”. It provides funding for underprivileged girls to go to movie theatres and watch films showing the progressive representation of women. Another of its umbrella projects is “Sisters in Cinema”.
“We want women to lead from the front,” said Chiriseri. “Female excellence is not a myth.”
Nelisa Ngcobo and Aliki Saragas, structures at all.”
The film is in isiXhosa and the conceptual weight of this is not lost on Nduna. “When I think science or technology, I don’t automatically think of Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana culture … so it was very significant that in order to achieve this futuristic world we had to explore the past.”
The resolve to create a believable AI from a South African perspective is convention-shifting. Stillborn’s positive reception in China affirms this. But, in Nduna’s view, there is still a long way to go for locally made sci-fi.
“How far can we stretch our imaginations?” who serve on SWIFT’s advocacy and impact subcommittee, recently completed a survey of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the local film industry. Their statistics revealed information that should shock us, but doesn’t, given the normalisation of discrimination.
According to their survey outcomes, 66.7% of respondents don’t feel comfortable in the workplace because of unwanted advances; 71% don’t think they have the platform to voice their concerns or someone to confide in when incidents of harassment occur; 77.8% felt that they have been discriminated against because of their gender, 58% feel it is based on their race and 41.3% say it is based on their body size or “look”; 54.8% have witnessed sexual she asks. “How far can we suspend our beliefs? What possibilities do our filmmakers see out there — beyond Earth?”
Nduna is not waiting around for answers — or scripts — to fall from the sky.
Together with creative partners such as Qubeka and director Thi-shiwe Ziqubu, she is diving deeper into Afrofuturism and sci-fi. She starts filming a second film with Qubeka in September, leads the cast of Ziqubu’s upcoming sci-fi feature, Stellar Collision, and is coproducing a superhero series based on African parables with Ziqubu. harassment and the 27% who intervened, say they risked their jobs in doing so.
These findings were shared at the official SWIFT launch at the festival on Sunday.
On the positive side, strides were made at spearheading opportunities for women at this year’s Film Mart, now in its eighth edition. Durban Film Office head Toni Monty and Film Mart project co-ordinator Fazia Williams hosted 600 delegates from various countries as part of their four-day programme.
Despite this, the festival couldn’t quite shake off accusations of poor engagement with gender issues at this year’s festival. Concerns were shared among students, international women
A graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Drama and Performance, 26-year-old Nduna is no stranger to the stage, screen or recording booth. As an actress, voice-over artist and musician now adding writing and production to her portfolio, she occupies a multiverse all her own.
“Yet no one teaches you how to do your taxes when you’re an artist,” she exclaims.
This yanks us back to Earth, to take a closer look at the industry in which young black creators find themselves. Nduna identifies three fault lines in South African filmmaking. filmmakers and several other attendees about the choice of this year’s opening film, the psycho-thriller Serpent, suggesting that decisions about screening remain questionable. The film was criticised for its problematic representations of women and perpetuating the male gaze, even though it was directed by a woman. Documentaries such as Strike a Rock and Liyana would have been better choices.
Women-led film discussions are all well and good, but one needs to guard against its descent into exploitation and against using the theme of women as a gimmick when women do not feel included or heard.
It must be said, though, that the festival creates valuable opportunities for emerging filmmakers, for amateurs
“On a practical level, those who have the land can film on it for free and use that venue-hire money for better equipment,” she says, explaining how disparities across genres and communities in filmmaking are a function of the country’s resource inequalities.
“We’re struggling artists before we even leave school,” Nduna says of the systemic shortage of funding and status afforded to university arts faculties — factors that serve to skew the industry towards those with existing resources.
“Filmmaking is an art. But film production is a business, so we need to be taught to play the game.”
The game Nduna refers to is the influencer game — one that requires actors to be good on screen and on social media.
“It’s sad, but there’s no time to be a thespian. Hashtag your life,” she says.
With that sentiment, we break into laughter.
“We might just be avatars in an intergalactic video game after all. But whether real or not, hashtagged or not, Nduna — much like her character Nobomi SX1 — is on a mission to usurp the dominant powers, ensuring that no black body in filmmaking goes unremembered. And we’re rooting for a win. and professionals to mingle, for students to learn and the city to shine. The Red Bull Amaphiko is a positive initiative in the festival’s programme. It gives young South African filmmakers prime time to have their work viewed by an international audience. Some of their films break dominant narratives and showcase new and important stories.
The emergence of SWIFT and a greater promotion of well-made, smallbudget, intersectional films could be key for the Durban festival and the African film industry to bloom into an all-inclusive space.