Mbudzi readies Africaa��s first teen movie

Bruce Ndlovu
Zimbabwean film student Tatenda Mbudzi, who made headlines three years ago for getting elected as an Oscar Awards student ambassador, has released the trailer of what is being dubbed as the first African teen movie.

Last week Mbudzi (ABOVE) released the trailer of his movie, Zim High, which is set to announce his arrival on the film scene after he was earmarked as one of the young up and coming producers to watch by the Oscar Academy.

Mbudzi, a University of California student, first made headlines in 2013 when he alongside five other film students won a competition ahead of 1100 other competitors who were asked to make a presentation on how they were going to improve the future of film.

The young director hopes that the movie will be the African answer to American teenager targeted movies like Twilight, while ita��s mostly based on Mbudzia��s experiences at a racially diverse but divided high school in Zimbabwe.

In an interview, Mbudzi revealed that the movie was focused on the aspects of Africa that were usually neglected by Hollywooda��s rush to film juicy but mostly negative stories about Africa.

a�?Ita��s the first African teen movie ever that isna��t about Ebola, Somalian pirates, pregnancy, or random black guys with AK-47s. Ita��s about self-acceptance and standing up for yourself and your dreams in the harshest of environments,a�? he said.

The story follows the life of a 17-year-old, Tatenda, who desperately needs to be a prefect so he can win scholarship money to study animation in Japan.

When he gets framed in a near fatal bullying incident, he has to turn to an aboriginal Australian new kid to help him be cool and cruel enough to become a prefect.

Mbudzi added that he was inspired by a movie that showed the story of African people that was free from the moralising interpretation of Hollywood.

a�?I was also sick of seeing moviesa��teen movies especiallya��that use Africa as a backdrop or setup for some morally absolving adventure. I wanted to make something from an African and Zimbabwean perspective for a change,a�? he said.