By : Staff Reporter
MASERU
The very first film screening by the European Union (EU) attracted a huge crowd from across the entire entertainment sector at Alliance Francaise on Friday.
The crowd had gathered to witness the launch of the EU Film Festival in Lesotho, which showcased Lesotho’s very own movie and her first submission to the Oscars, This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection.
This is an internationally esteemed and recognized local movie that was shot at the heart of the Mountain Kingdom, in Maseru, Nazareth.
It was deliberately chosen to pioneer the EU Film Festival Lesotho, which ran for three days over the weekend. The movie depicts the life of a devastated old widow (the late Mary Twala) who cannot let go of her buried family members to relocate and leave her homeland for the reservoir dam building. She finds a new will to live and ignites the spirit of resilience within her community.
During the very engaging session post the screening, the South African legend, Jerry Mofokeng, who plays the lesiba player – the narrator – in the movie, called upon Basotho to “tell their own stories in their own language.” Mofokeng congratulated Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese – the producer of the movie – for drawing the spotlight on one of the very key social concerns in Lesotho, which compromise the culture and reflection of Basotho communities, saying it is only through such interventions that some of the struggles can be understood and mitigated.
“I want to bring this as a challenge to Lesotho, that it is high time that you start telling your own stories, we have heard enough of Americans telling Nelson Mandela stories while we know better. It is true that money has the louder voice, but together you can change the situation. From this movie, I am convinced that Lesotho has got talent,” said the legend.
Also reacting to Mofokeng’s sentiments, Litšeo Mosenene, one of the attendants at the festival, urged the stakeholders in the industry to invest in the film industry. He implored those who have left for greener pastures to come back home and revive their hopeless fellows trying to grind in the industry.
Also present at the Festival was Simphiwe Nzima who also encouraged Lesotho to explore and grow the industry. “It serves as an inspiration that there are regular women, regular men in the streets of Lesotho, who when they put their minds to it, they can really achieve it. This movie is a milestone in our country, it must not be ignored nor taken lightly,” she emphasized.
The EU Film Festival will, according to EU Ambassador to Lesotho Paula Amadei, be a platform to review and explore award-winning movies coming from local and abroad, and a chance for the industry to meet, network and discuss recurring challenges and developments in the film industry.
“This was a deliberate choice by all the organizers because the aim is to eliminate borders and create bridges across different countries. The film has played well as a cultural ambassador for Lesotho,” she observed. She added that all the movies for the current festival were a conscious choice in an effort to showcase the diversity within and beyond the EU.
The movie also features Tseko Monaheng and Silas Monyatse.
