adminThe John Knight cinema is housed at the National Gallery in Bulawayo.
Among the films is Tyrant Resurrection, the latest offering by Bulawayo-based award winning director, Mhlengiwethu Nzima.
The film, which was produced in 2011, makes its debut screening in the city after having been an attraction at the 2011 edition of the Zimbabwe Festival of Afrikan Inspired Animation held in Harare, courtesy of Joint African Animation Group and Alliance Francaise. Nzima said he was grateful for the opportunity presented by Intwasa this year as it provided a much needed platform to introduce his films to the people of his home city.
“By sharing my stories with the world, I believe I can inspire and be inspired. By tackling hard-hitting and often side-lined social issues through the animation format, I believe I can start a dialogue between different generations, bridging the gap between parent and child,” he said.
Nzima said he believed his films carry a visual style that would charm any child, while tastefully tackling deeper themes that any adult could relate to and understand.
“As a filmmaker, I aspire to destroy the stereotypes imposed upon us by the world. I want to tell African stories with a difference, African stories from an African’s own eyes,” he said.
He said his work was inspired by Japanese Anime and Manga, whose style and storytelling he finds revolutionary in the art world.
Anime in Japan technically means any animated film and Manga is any printed cartoon.
He added: “I am also greatly inspired by the legendary Disney classics which broke me into the animation universe.”
Tyrant Resurrection — a 30 minute film — is set in pre-colonial Africa, in a fictional Southern African kingdom known as Langa.
“I made the decision to make it an ancient setting in an effort to try and explore ancient African culture.
This was motivated by the fact that in the entirety of my life, I had known next to nothing about pre-colonial Africa,” Nzima said.
Online Reporter