ZIFF takes film fete to the ghetto

Yeukai Karengezeka Arts Correspondent
Organisers of the Zimbabwe International Film Festival scheduled for October 4 to 11, have adopted a new strategy in a bid to attract bigger audiences during the forthcoming festival.Speaking at the media cocktail held over the weekend, event director Nigel Munyati said they were spreading to the ghetto for the first time.

“This will be our first time to use ghetto venues because this is where people are. We want people in ghetto to know what is happening these days in film production and this year we want to make a difference,” he said.

Munyati said they were excited to work in new areas and the screenings will be for free.

“We are really excited by the prospect of resuscitating our ‘Outreach to Educate’ programme in a bigger and more effective way.
“The ghetto masses will get to watch all the rare but very relevant films that are counterparts elsewhere in the city. Public screenings in community halls and shopping centres will be the order of the day and the films will be for free to maximise consumption,” he said.

Some of the screenings will be in Warren Park, Mufakose, Mabvuku, Mbare, Highfield, and Copacabana.

However the festival’s main venues are Pakare Paye Arts Centre, ZIFF Hub, Alliance Francaise and Book Cafe.

The festival will run under the theme “Universal African” a celebration of African cinema and filmmakers who have excelled on the world stage.

“The theme is recognition of the positive work done by Africans round the world to portray Africa’s positive reality. It is a call to the African film industry to boldly claim its space by producing more world class films that tell the story of Africa with an authoritative voice. Features, documentaries, shorts and animation films have been selected to speak about the theme,” he said.

Munyati also highlighted that Zimbabwean filmmakers were frustrated by the absence of meaningful returns from their craft.

He said they would address issues of consumption and how they can encourage growth in theatre audiences and general film distribution.