Despite the huge demand for new production, The Road To Sunrise, award-winning filmmaker Charles Shemu Joyah says he will not have it on DVDs.
This comes in the wake of Joyah embarking on public screening sessions for the movie which recently won the best movie for Southern Africa at the African Movie Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA).
He says until now he has fought against the temptation to have the film produced on DVD to beat piracy which he said is countering efforts of many players in the arts industry in the country.
“The vibrant film industries elsewhere were not built on the sale of movies on DVDs. The production of these movies involves huge monetary investments which cannot be recovered by sale of DVDs. It can only provide a breeding ground for piracy,” he said.
Joyah said that there may be a slight possibility of having the film on DVD next year when he is satisfied with the returns from his investment. He says for now he will stick to screening the movie publicly.
He said: “The idea behind this move is two-fold; we are trying to revive the cinema culture which is evidently on the deathbed in the country. This is an experiment to see if we can get the sector thriving as is the case with our friends in Zambia.
“Another reason is to respond to the demand for the movie from the public. People have come forward asking how they can access the movie for a while now. It is my hope that they will make use of this opportunity to come and watch it.”
The movie will be screening at Malawi Sun Hotel’s Jupiter Hall from Saturday, September 22 till Friday, September 28. The movie will be screened at different times on particular days and will attract different gate charges.
From Monday to Friday, the movie will be screening from 7pm at K4 000. On Saturday September 22 and Sunday September 23, the movie will screen from 2.30pm at K4 000 while on Sunday September 30 it will screen from 7.30 pm at K6 000.
His fans have welcomed the development when he announced the screening of the movie on his official Facebook page.
MacDonald Kazingatchire wrote: “Ok! All the Best.”
Another of his fans, William Collinson, said: “This is so awesome Charles. I wish I was there.”
Joyah said after finishing with the screening in the Southern Region, he will take the movie to other regions and districts as well to give every Malawian a chance of sampling it.
