Film raises the acting talent Twala was
Flick leads way at Durban film fest
Late legendary actress Mary Twala captured viewers’ imagination with her performance in the film This Is Not a Burial,
It’s a Resurrection that opened this year’s Durban International Film Festival at the weekend. The 41st edition is taking place online and through drive-in screenings in Durban, Port Shepstone, Newcastle and Richards Bay until September 20. Twala’s film opened on a high note with 50 cars at drive-in screenings while 500 people watched it online.
The film is co-produced by a crew from SA, Lesotho and Italy and the director is Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Germanybased Lesotho national.
Twala, who died in July, pulled off a great performance in the role of Mantoa, which asked a lot emotionally and mentally. Other actors who gave an impressive performance included Makhaula Ndebele, as a reverend in the film, and Tseko Monaheng, who plays the role of a chief.
The film begins with the beautiful sound of Basotho music with screen veteran
Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha narrating the story and the history of the village called Nasaretha, punctuating his speech with poetry and Sotho idioms.
This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is a story about one of the village’s oldest citizens, Mantoa, her resilience and the fighting spirit that kept her going. The story also touches on the issue of land and forced removals. The film opens with Mantoa eagerly waiting for her son who works at a mine in SA to come back home during Christmas. But when he returns in a coffin, she is shattered.
Having lost all her children and husband, the distraught Mantoa locks herself in her hut for days, grieving. She takes the decision that she wants her grave to be dug while she is still alive. When everyone does not understand her motive, she starts digging the grave herself. Despite losing everything, including her house, Mantoa becomes a hero as she inspires the community of Nasaretha to come together and fight developers who want to remove the people from the land of their forefathers because they want to build a dam.