Tsitsi Dangarembga and the Greenies story
Tsitsi Dangarembga accepts a surprise gift at the IIFF closing ceremony on Saturday evening (29 Nov)
When Tsitsi was a little girl she joined the Brownies. Her young sister Rudo was upset that she too could not join as she was still too young.
Tsitsi came up with an idea. She would start a new group called the “Greenies” which her little sister could be a part of. So she told all her friends about this new group and had them pay 10 cents to join. Read more
ZIFF hosts Brazilian Focus
Marcel Izidoro (Photo: fungaijames.com)
In collaboration with the Embassy of Brazil and Brazilian filmmaker, Marcel Izidoro, the Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF) will present a Brazilian Focus characterised by a series of screenings and masterclasses to be held at the Zimbabwe German Society and the ZIFF offices.
Setting the tone for the Focus are the masterclasses starting on August 28 with topics covered being various technical aspects of filmmaking, including, film directing and script writing, film editing, cinematography and sound.
Selected participants will be mentored by four film practitioners, Paolo Gregori, Azul Serra, Andre Soler and Eduardo Izique. Read more
Flanders flounders at ZIFF
Flanders poster
I can’t believe that this film has actually won two awards. This has to be one of the most poorly executed feature films I have ever watched.
In Flanders (or Flandres in French) a quiet farm hand, Demester (Samuel Boidin) who has difficulty expressing his feelings for his nymphomaniac girlfriend Barbe (Adélaïde Leroux), is sent off to war, but not before we- and he- witness her punishing him for his lack of emotion by sleeping with another man his car in broad daylight, outside a pub where she, Demester and two other friends were having a drink.
Picture this: Barbe and this guy have been eyeballing each other in the pub when she gets up and walks over to him, totally ignoring Demester and co. After exchanging a few words, they walk out to this guy’s car and start getting it on. When Demester and co come out, there they are in plain view, going at it. Read more
ZIFF 2008- the reels are rolling
Nakai Matema
Friday evening saw the launch of the 11th edition of the Zimbabwe International Film Festival at a function held at the 7 Arts Theatre in Harare.
Over 300 people attended the opening ceremony whose highlight was the screening of the American film “The Visitor” starring Zimbabwean actress Danai Gurira.
This year’s festival is themed “The Art of Film, Film as Art.”
Festival Director, Nakai Matema, explains: “This year we acknowledge how film incorporates every other genre of the arts, from the literary, to music, to visual and to the performing arts. Film encompasses and relies on all these forms of art, and so this year we celebrate and show our respect for our fellow artistes.” Read more
Zim actress, Danai Gurira, stars in American film at ZIFF
The Visitor stars Zimbabwean actress Danai Gurira
Zimbabwean actress Danai Gurira stars in the film “The Visitor” which was the opening film at this year’s edition at ZIFF. We last saw Danai at HIFA 2006 when she performed the play “In the Continuum” with Nikkole Slater.
A synopsis of the film: Years after losing his wife, 62-year-old Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has also lost his passion for writing and teaching. In an effort to fill the empty void that his life has become, Walter makes a half-hearted attempt to learn to play classical piano.
Later, when Walter’s college sends him to a conference in Manhattan, he is surprised to discover that a young couple has moved into his seldom-used apartment in the city. Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend Zainab (Danai Gurira) have fallen victims to an elaborate real-estate scam, and as a result they no longer have a place to call home. Read more
On The Zimbo Jam- Alick Macheso- Lucky Guitarist or Musical Genius?By Memory Chirere Although many Zimbabwean music lovers are agreed that Alick Macheso is the King of Sungura, the Zimbabwean brand of Rhumba, that is as far as the agreement will go. As Masimba Kuchera admits in an article on the Chesopower website, ‘there have been many schools of thought on the (real) strength of Macheso- some arguing about his skills with the bass guitar, some contending that it is his vocals and others proffering his dancing skills, it is generally agreed that the musician is of immense talent.’ When people agree that you are extremely talented but go on to debate hotly about exactly whether your strength lies in theway you walk or the way you run, then that is a mark of genius. You actually put people in a crisis of naming aspects of a phenomenon.
- A Dance Farewell for Isabel MatolaBy Ruvimbo Hope Masike Here is one of the most beautiful things about Zimbabwe. It is inimitably Zimbabwean. We Zimbabweans love peace, of course, among other things. We love fun, joy and we are naturally celebratory people even when there isn’t much to celebrate about. For instance young children jump around joyously chanting “Ndege! Ndege!” when an aeroplane passes over them. Now when there is something worthy of the celebration, the joy is electric, understandably so, considering how almost everything else around us is seemingly dull and confusing and uninspiringly so. As a result, when Isabel Matola’s Mozambique Dance Festival came by, it turned out to be one of the brightest lights in town, which was a well deserved acclaim.
- Kanda Bongo Man Lands in Harare With One Guitar[Herald] France-based rhumba maestro Kanda Bongo Man had just one guitar when he set out to perform at the Harare International Conference Centre on Wednesday evening, and his day was saved by a local musician who offered him his instruments on the 11th hour to avert what could have turned out to be an international disaster.
- Alick Macheso- Lucky Guitarist or Musical Genius?
