‘The Last Fishing Boat’ screens on Zambezi Magic Channel
Award-winning movie The Last Fishing Boat on Sunday screened on DStv’s Zambezi Magic channel 160 from 8pm.
The movie became the first material from Malawi to screen on the channel which was launched on July 1.
Since its launch, the channel, which is aimed at giving a platform to Southern African countries to showcase its talent, has been screening material from other countries
Malawians have thus been waiting eagerly to watch its material and the screening of The Last Fishing Boat, produced by filmmaker Shemu Joyah could as well open the way for more things to come.
MultiChoice Malawi Sales and Marketing Manager Chimwemwe Nyirenda yesterday confirmed that Joyah’s movie was the first local content to screen on the Zambezi Magic.
Asked on whether their office is receiving more local content for screening, Nyirenda said at the moment they have received none but he revealed that the Zambezi Magic team will be in the country on September 24 for group discussion.
Joyah said he was happy that the movie has finally screened on DStv but he was quick to say that the Zambezi Magic team got the movie through Africa Magic.
“Actually I signed a contract with Africa Magic for them to screen the movie on Africa Magic and we finalised everything but then the Zambezi Magic team through Kwangu Liwewe contacted me that they wanted to use the material so since I am in contract with Africa Magic I asked them to agree,” said Joyah.
He said he never knew that it will air anytime soon until on Sunday night when it aired.
“Everything was fine, of course some words were edited as part of parental guidance otherwise I enjoyed watching it again and now on DStv,” said Joyah.
On whether he was satisfied with the contract he signed with Africa Magic for the movie, Joyah said he delayed the process because he wanted everything to be in black and white.
“I wouldn’t say it’s much but it’s fair and I am happy and that is why I signed the contract,” he said.
The Last Fishing Boat, which is Joyah’s second movie after Seasons of a Life, has screened at several international festivals and won an award for Best Soundtrack at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in 2013.
This is a movie that centres on the story of a fisherman on Lake Malawi who finds himself struggling to get by as the supply of fish in the lake depletes while his cultural values are being threatened by the expanding tourism industry.
Furthermore, in-family challenges and scathing rumours add more turmoil to his life. The movie is simply a tale of cultural clashes between traditional African values and modernisation.
During the launch of the channel in Blantyre, several artists welcomed the development, saying it is a platform that will expose their talent further.
Some artists, however, moved in fast to say that they have more work to do on the ground stressing that the channel dubbed the ‘Home to Southern African TV Entertainment’ needs to be fed with more content but with quality.
The channel is available to DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact subscribers in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi and Swaziland among others.
Head of Zambezi Magic channel, Addiel Dzinoreva, said recently that this channel is tailor-made with the Southern African viewer in mind and that it will offer the most sought-after archive content that has so far, not been available outside of South Africa.
“We’re bringing our Southern African viewers content they have been asking for and most importantly, the channel will also build regional entertainment brands by showcasing entertainment productions from the various Southern African countries,” said Dzinoreva.
Some of the content showing on the channel includes Generations, Muvhango, Isidingo, Zone 14, and Jacob’s Cross.
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