adminPabalelo Tlou Sunday Leisure Reporter
AWARD winning actor and writer Shadrek Chaparadza Mukumbe has expressed concern over illegal mass production of photocopy versions of DVDs to the recently released film Hades no Prevail which is blatantly sold in the open streets of Bulawayo.Hades no prevail, a Christian based film was launched last month at Eagle Life Church in Bulawayo and is yet to be launched in Harare.
The movie is about a little boy, Dino, who was sexually abused by his uncle to the extent of running away from home to the streets, things did not turn out good either in the streets as he was framed to have committed murder and as a result, with no one to assist him he was sent to jail.
He got lucky as God extended his merciful hand to him when he met Aunty Rose, a single mother who was also an evangelist who took him to church where he repented.
What has become so depressing to the directors and producers of this film is that a number of people are now in possession of this film at a next to free cost.
Chaparadza said with the rate of illegal copying and such thieving, it would be hard for the film industry in the country to grow.
“Producers, directors, actors and everyone involved in the production of films strive on their work and a lot of energy and time is invested to produce a film, but because of piracy we always get nothing from our efforts,” he said.
Chaparadza who used to be a writer for Studio 263 and also the assistant director of Small House saga, which was screened on ZTV, begged the authorities to take action on piracy so that the Zimbabwean film industry can grow.
“We (producers) invest crores of rupees in the distribution of films and incur huge losses because of the sale of pirated CDs by vested interests. We, therefore, request the relevant authorities to take stringent action against those who indulge in the manufacture and sale of pirated DVDs of newly-released films,” Chaparadza said.
As a means to curb piracy, Chaparadza said they had come with an alternative to distribute the film in Christian communities where Christians would get copies of the film from their pastors.
“Our idea is to circulate the film in churches. We will distribute DVDs of the film to Christian communities and let people buy them from their pastors, that way we will have something instead of nothing,” he said.
Chaparadza said he was thinking of making the film, Hades no Prevail into a movie series which he said would be screened weekly on ZTV, adding that they would tackle various issues under the same theme.
Just like Christian movies in Nigeria, Chaparadza said he wanted to establish Zimbabwean based Christian films and Hades no prevail would be his debut Christian series in the country.
“At first we wanted to make part two of the film but part one left out a number of loose ends and we have thought of making it a weekly movie series that is aimed at spreading the gospel,” he said.
Online Reporter