A WEALTH of homegrown stories are set to hit continental screens courtesy of MultiChoice Namibia and the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).
At a launch event at MultiChoice Namibia in Windhoek recently, the media companies announced their selection of 13 films that will be produced around the country this year.
The successful film concepts were chosen from over 200 submissions, following a call for experienced filmmakers and producers to submit film proposals reflecting truly authentic Namibian stories.
The upcoming films and their producers are ‘Home is Where the Money Is’ (Michael Pulse), ‘Okalila’ (Knowledge Ipinge), ‘Tuli & Jessica’ (Obed Emvula), ‘Bokwagter’ (Dantagos Jimmy-Melanie), ‘The Funeral’ (Marinda Stein), ‘Kauna’s Way/ ER’ (Vickson Hangula/Frieda Karipi), ‘Blackened’ (Erica Gebhardt), ‘Instalove’ (Riejhaat Wolhuter), ‘Sacky’s Dilemma’ (Kgosi Makaza), ‘Set in Stone’ (David Benade), ‘The Goal’ (Mpingana Dax), ‘Wish for Death’ ( Errol Geingob) and ‘Chef’s Kiss’ (Guy Knockles).
“At MultiChoice we continuously seek opportunities to provide Namibian audiences with local and inspired content, because we have seen a great interest in African content on our platforms,” MultiChoice managing director Roger Gertze said at the event.
“We further aim to enhance our customers’ television viewing experience and delight them with content that resonates with them,” he said.
“Teams from M-Net and the NBC have dedicated many weeks to selecting the best local film concepts telling incredible Namibian stories that will guarantee audiences in Namibia and the rest of Africa and beyond truly entertaining viewing,”
Gertze said.
The initiative will also allow budding screenwriters to showcase their knack for storytelling under the mentorship of experienced film-makers.
One such writer is playwright Donald Matthys who, amid a dream come true, will be pivoting from theatre to film with his very first cinematic story credit.
“The name of our film is called ‘The Funeral’. It’s a film that is set at Aranos in the Hardap region – my hometown – and it’s a family drama.
The main themes are loss, family, and togetherness,” said Matthys.
“This is my first film and I am very excited. I really appreciate this opportunity. NBC and MultiChoice are doing this thing together to help grow the Namibian film industry. We don’t really see 13 Namibian films being made at the same time, so this is very exciting.”
The completed films will be aired on DStv, GOtv and Showmax.
“Our investment in the Namibian creative economy is an exciting milestone for MultiChoice and our hyperlocal strategy. MultiChoice’s mission is to showcase Africa’s diverse, rich culture through our continent’s deep storytelling history,” said Gertze.
“To have 13 new locally produced films provides an incredibly powerful platform to propel Africa’s video entertainment to greater heights,” he said.
“Congratulations to the producers who were selected. We cannot wait to see the exclusively Namibian films flighting on our channels.”
– [email protected]; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com