‘Lack of resources hampers local film industry’

“Up The Hill”, “Legacies” and “Go Chanaiwa Go”, among others.
“Local film practitioners have the expertise to make it not only in Africa but the world over, but what is lacking is the necessary support for the industry to grow.
“There is need for a sound Government policy which clearly supports the film industry to be able to compete on the global level and do what other African countries are doing.
“Our industry can be better than that of South Africa and other African countries but the problem is that we don’t have the resources to support the talent that we have,” Chimedza said.
His passion for acting started at the age of nine while he was still in primary school at Chimedza Primary in Masvingo in 1987.
“I starred in theatrical productions, with the most popular one being the biblical drama “King Herod”, in which I starred as “King Herod”.
“I continued being actively involved in drama and public speaking throughout my secondary education and in 1994, I was chosen as a child parliamentarian representing a constituency in Mashonaland East,” Chimedza said.
His acting skills saw him featuring in a short film called “Trap”, which was directed by Harris Baksh.
This did not end there as he also appeared in a stage adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” from May to July 2002. Chimedza exhibited his acting skills by playing three different roles — Friar John, Old Capulet and the Musician.
His big break finally came in November 2002 after he joined the cast of the popular soap “Studio 263” in which played the role of Brian, one of Jari’s workers.
He also became one of the scriptwriters for the same soap.I n “Fragments”, another local television production, Chimedza acted as Kudzi, an ambitious yet very brilliant and enthusiastic young legal practitioner, who stops at nothing to get what he wants.
Chimedza is also a jack of many trades and a master of them all. He is also a polished poet, having developed the passion while he was still at school.
“I started reciting poems at school gatherings from a tender age, writing poems like ‘Africa Speaks’ which was chosen as the best among the poems that were submitted for the competition
“The poem was displayed on the Africa Speaks website for five consecutive months from November 2002 to April 2003. I have in my portfolio a good number of original works of poetry, which are readily accessible,” he said.His writing skills have seen him writing the script for a production called “Status”, a hospital drama series focusing on the life and experiences of HIV and Aids patients as well as those affected socially and psychologically by the pandemic.
Production of the drama has, however, been stalled by the lack of adequate funding, Chimedza said.
The artiste, who is in his late 30s, is also a songwriter.