‘Sponge’ launches in Malawi Dec
A movie written and directed by United States (US) based Malawians Chawezi Kabuzi Munthali, Wezi Chipeta and Ben Wandawanda comes to launch in Malawi in December.
This follows the launch of the movie—Sponge—in Atlanta on August 27.
Munthali, who goes by the name Chaz in entertainment circles, said the film will premiere in Lilongwe on December 16 and in Blantyre a day later.
“During the official launch, it was unbelievable for a film written and directed by a Malawian to sell the theatre out when just next door there was the launch of Jason Bourne [the latest movie in the Bourne series].
“It was like in a dream to attract huge support from both the Malawian community and Americans,” he said.
Munthali said it feels nervous to bring the film to Malawi, but is motivated to come by the success the movie has registered in the US.
With Faith Bvumbwe and Victor Kamwendo from Malawi and Abby Njobvu from Zambia as main actors, the movie tells the story of a Malawian woman who tries to balance life by trying to meet family and society expectations with matters of the heart in Atlanta, US.
Knowing that moral standards for women are different from those of men, Anna Guga (played by Bvumbwe) has to decide if love or infatuations are worth the trouble in the foreign land.
This is the second project for Munthali to work on as a couple of years ago, he directed pilot series for Sweep which accumulated over 200 000 views on YouTube.
The release and views set the foundation for Sponge.
Munthali also revealed plans to organise a film festival in Malawi next year to help sharpen skills of young directors.
“There are talented directors in Malawi and all they need is a chance and support. But this requires a lot of passion and perseverance too. People can even use their phones to shoot something to showcase their talent,” he said.
Film Association of Malawi (Fama) president Ezaius Mkandawire described the new film as a positive contribution to the local film industry.
“The local film industry is just developing. Therefore, we need more material to flood the market to increase our presence,” he said.
