Film must be promoted fully– Theatre International
Theatre International has said the country now needs to fully promote and support the film industry which has shown that it has potential following actress Joyce Mhango Chavula’s triumph at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCAs) held in Lagos, Nigeria last weekend.
Theatre International Director, Chancy Mauluka, said for a long time the country has sidelined and looked down on the creative industry.
“We now need more advocacy on film, winning an award on such a platform is no mean achievement. As a group we are excited with this achievement for Malawi,” said Mauluka, whose theatre group last year also launched a movie titled Mwayi Wotsiriza.
Mwayi Wotsiriza is a film about sexual abuse of girls and working conditions of teachers in rural primary schools and the movie attracted positive feedback from people.
Mauluka said Joyce’s triumph was an inspiration to the budding film industry.
“Joyce is an inspiration to women in arts and a token of appreciation for the sleepless nights of hard work that she has invested in film,” said Mauluka.
He also said Joyce has worked hard throughout and also shown that regardless of the inadequate resources, abundance of passion and commitment reaps rewards.
Joyce, whose film Lilongwe was premiered last year in October during a film festival, cost her K1.5 million.
She said for now she has resorted to producing low budget movies but with quality and that for now, she has a script to shoot another movie but was not in a hurry.
Some quarters have since called upon the actress to screen the movie across the country to give a chance to more people to appreciate it.
Others have even called upon her to produce DVDs of the movie.
But Joyce who arrived back home on Monday said she would look into that as of now she does not have the resources.
The actress’ victory at the AMVCAs, the first for Malawi did not earn her monetary rewards as others might have thought but it won her recognition such that she will now be counted on the continent when it comes to film making.
Top film makers may also now start looking at working with her now that she has made a name.
Mauluka urged Joyce to keep on the passion ignited and infect others with it.
He also said that the corporate world now has no excuse and that Joyce was one of the examples of those that need to be supported and promoted.
“Before others hepl her elsewhere the government and the corporate world must support her. To social change agents I say, entertainment-education is a powerful approach for achieving organic social change,” he said.
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