Chirisa in land reform movie

Bruce Ndlovu
While many Zimbabweans are now used to seeing Hollywood star Tongayi Chirisa star in movies that have little to do with his native country, they will soon be ableA� to see him star in a film that promises to give the other side of the Zimbabwean land reform programme.

The film, titled, The Zim, comes fresh from the studios of Hollywood, but unlike other foreign explorations of the countrya��s land reform programme, it promises to give a more balanced view of the process that saw the redress of old land imbalances that stretch back from the colonial era.

Directed by Alexander Bedria, of Brickyard Films, The Zim was made with the intention of healing wounds that date back to the colonial era.

After seeing that most Western films and documentaries had focused almost exclusively on the white farmers, the film tries to look into the seething anger of Zimbabweans who had been dispossessed at the onset of colonial rule.

Already the filma��s trailer has garnered much needed attention online, with the popular Chirisa being one of its social media drivers.

a�?Chirisaa��s insights and experiences as a native Zimbabwean have been crucial in balancing the complex themes in our story as well as creating an overall sense of verisimilitude.a�?

a�?Our goal was to find balance between our charactersa�� viewpoints, to have the audience empathise with them even if they disagreed with them,a�? Bedria told News24.com.

He went on to highlight how the film was conscious on not trivialising the plight of landless Zimbabweans and the settlers.

a�?I understand that the subject matter of our film is a deeply personal one to a great number of people. This is a responsibility that no one on our team takes lightly.a�?