Nama film festival boosts local industry

THE National Arts Merit Awards (Nama)’s recent film festival in Bulawayo has left a blaze of hope for local filmmakers to expose more opportunities for the sector.

The festival which took place from January 26 to 27 at Ster Kinekor is one of the multiple events being held by the Nama ahead of its main awards ceremony set for next month.

Some of the films that were showcased were Ngoda, See Me and The Signal.

Producer Joe Njagu endorsed the move by Nama saying it nudges the industry in the right direction.

“I think it is necessary to have local movies showing in cinemas. That's one of the biggest distribution forms so it also benefits the filmmakers financially. My wish is to have a local film everytime on the line-up at Ster Kinekor. That way people can have a way of watching our films. Cinema is one of the best experiences to watch a film,” he said.

Radio news anchor, actress and film producer Charlene Furusa also expressed gratitude for the platform although she could not personally attend the fair.

“We are extremely honoured to be one of the films selected to be screened at the first-ever Nama film festival. Something we hope will continue to happen each year. This is a brilliant opportunity to showcase local films and we are excited about this new platform as Zimbabwean filmmakers,” she said.

Festival attendee Brian Nyoni said it was an eye-opening for him.

“This is the first time I watched a locally-produced film and it is exciting watching it at the cinema. It is a refreshing experience for me because I did not know it was up to standard. I always thought local productions are not at par somehow,” he said.