Malawi’s movie scoops international festival awards

An awe-inspiring movie locally produced and directed by a Malawian Charles Shemu Joyah of FirstDawn Arts, Seasons of a life continues to enjoy its fame in the spheres of the international film industry as one of the best cultural films in Africa.

Released mid last year, the movie that has on several occasions been nominated for screening at different major film festivals across the continent, has proved that it is truly a masterpiece worth special mark of respect.

In the 2009, 12th Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), Seasons of a life, which was among the movies (almost 100) selected for showcase from over 30 African and world countries, scooped two awards namely The Verona Jury Award for the Best African Film and The ZIFF Chairman Golden Dhow Award.

Disclosing the good news in the commercial capital Blantyre, few days after his arrival from Zanzibar, Joyah said “The Verona Jury Award is given to a film deemed as the best African feature film in competition.”

Added Joyah: “The Award means that the film will be screened at the African Film Festival of Verona, Italy in November. It will also be shown in two other Italian Film Festivals.”

As further mentioned by the Seasons of a life mastermind, whose film is FirstDawn Arts’ first production, The ZIFF Chairman Golden Dhow Award is given by the ZIFF Chairman to the film that has the widest audience appeal during the screening.

According to Joyah, most films came from Africa but there were also films from the USA, United Kingdom, France, India, Germany, Poland and Brazil.

“There were nine prizes that were given to the 45 films that had been shortlisted for competition,” he revealed.
ZIFF is one of the six main film festivals in Africa, the others being FESPACO; Cairo International Film Festival; Durban International Film Festival; Zimbabwe International Film Festival; Marrakesh International Film Festival and Carthage International Film Festival, some of which Seasons of a life has participated.

Being a unique initiative with a primary goal of sustaining preservation and development of the region’s rich cultural heritage and the work of contemporary artists, ZIFF organises annual Festival[s] of the Dhow Countries that take[s] place around the first two weeks of July.

Expressing his contentment having won the two awards with his debut movie production and in particular being a film from Malawi, Joyah said the medals mean a lot to his arts company and the country’s film industry as a whole.

He observed that despite the limited financial resources that are in the country, Malawi has the potential to create films that can put the nation on the world map as far as global film production is concerned.

“I invested K10 million to produce Seasons of a life and as compared to other industries, for instance American, European and some African countries, US$2.5 million is a zero-budget. However, with the limited resources we can still produce a film that can scoop such international awards.

“I think one of the reasons why our film won is that right from the beginning, we strived to make a quality product and I think we achieved that. With the two awards, I am so happy that we have a good African film from Malawi,” said Joyah.

Featuring the cream of Malawi’s budding actors such as Bennie Msuku, Flora Suya, Neria Chikhosi and Tapiwa Gwaza, the movie is a moving story about sexual abuse, the rights of women, the triumph of hope over despair and the enduring spirit of motherhood.

A childless couple, Kondani (Msuku) and Thoko (Chikhosi), adopts a child from an orphanage. They employ an orphan, Sungisa (Suya) to look after the child. Later the husband sexually abuses the housemaid and makes her pregnant, he asks her to have an abortion but she refuses.

In an interview with Nyasa Times on the sidelines of the conference, Chikhosi said “It feels great for me as an actress to see a movie which I am part of getting this achievement. This is an encouragement for our growing movie industry because our talent is moving from country to country through the festivals and in the next three to four years am sure we will be somewhere.”

Meanwhile, as earlier indicated by the firm, Seasons of a life will soon be put on market having gotten both the local and international exposure the producers sought.

“When we made the film I wanted to give it international exposure and recognition because I wanted this film to be distributed not just in Malawi but also in other countries and that could be achieved through the festivals and it is further encouraging winning the awards.

“In the next two months, we shall now produce at least 10,000 copies of the film which shall be marketed locally,” stated Joyah, adding “we want to flood the market with original DVDs at cheaper prices to avoid piracy.”

He however said for the international market, talks are underway with film distributors outside the country to take Seasons of a life to Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Zanzibar and the Republic of South Africa, among other countries.

“I would want to work with distributors in those countries because it would be easier for them to police the piracy in those countries than me doing it while I am here,” observed Joyah, who is also incorporated as part of the East African Film makers Forum that helps film makers in the region to distribute their works with the purpose of fighting piracy.

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