Malawi’s local talent shines at Lilongwe shots
The film industry has been known to significantly support the economies of several countries. It has aided the creation of jobs, the nurturing of talent and an explosion of creativity.
Events such as the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival are prime examples of innovated minds gathering to showcase creativity.
While these events are distant to Malawi, the inaugural Lilongwe Shorts International Short Film Festival as presented by the Film Association of Malawi (Fama) and Lake of Stars, has provided an outlet for local talent to show the community their hard work.
The two-day event proved to be an affordable, fun and thoughtfully curated film festival.
Exceeding expectations, the audience watched captivating short films from a diverse selection of international filmmakers, local talent and young artists.
These are films local audiences would rarely chance at or see anywhere else.
From the USA, Japan, England, Norway, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Sweden, France, Liberia, DRC, South Africa, Burundi, Egypt, Zambia, Ghana and Malawi, the films came in different lengths and with diverse themes.
Even Christopher Nolan, whose nine films have made him a fortune and garnered a total of 26 Oscar nominations and seven awards, could not resist the urge of submitting his short film, Doodlebug.
Another popular and award-winning movie director Neill Blomkamp had his creation, Alive In Jo’burg screened. This film was later adapted into a science fiction action thriller District 9 which features Malawi’s Hollywood export Eugene Khumbanyiwa.
To mark the official end of the festival, which saw over 60 movies screened, several filmmakers walked away with an equivalent of the Golden Horns statuettes of the South African Film and Television Awards.
The awards were adjudicated by Fama president Ezaius Mkandawire, who was chairperson, and filmmakers Joyce Mhango Chavula, Serman Chavula and Julian Braavest.
Mwizalero Nyirenda’s Umunthu, a first person documentary about the controversy surrounding homosexuality in Malawi, won big as it scooped four awards in best director, documentary, overall document as well as garnering the top spot in the audience choice’s category.
Going South, a short film produced and directed by one of Malawi’s star curators Elson Kambalu, won the best cast award as well as the overall best actress in the name of Princess Tapiwa Chilambula.
Other Malawian winners were Protect Malawi’s Wildlife for best technical brilliance and Hunted for best sound.
Shoe Shiner and Ndikumva won the second and third position in the audience choice, respectively.
Apart from the film screenings and workshops, show goers were also treated to live performances when musicians George Kalukusha and Joshua Matonga as well as poets Menes and Q Malewezi took to the stage.
The festival seeks to provide a platform for filmmakers to showcase their talent.
It is also aimed at connecting Africans across the continent and beyond, apart from making sure that the Malawian public is exposed to the rich cultural heritage of Africa through films.
The festival showcased feature films, documentary films and short films of not more than 60 minutes, as well as providing workshops and other cultural events.
