Talent Gore
TWO local films, Mirage and Ngoda, have been recognised at the Botswana International Film Festival.
Joe Njagu’s Ngoda won the awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Sound.
Mirage, which Njagu produced and was directed by Malaika Mushandu, picked up the award for Best Director.
Njagu said the awards demonstrated that the Zimbabwean film industry was “not only celebrated locally, but also regionally and internationally”.
“We scooped four awards at the Botswana International Film Festival last week.
“This encourages us as filmmakers to know that we are not only celebrated locally, but also regionally and internationally, so we will keep pushing to a point where we have a big, thriving film industry,” said Njagu.
This is not the first time that the two films have received international recognition.
Mirage was named Best Feature Film at the Seventh Edition of the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF) held in Canada in September.
Ngoda recently won the Best Cinematographer Southern Africa and Best Sound Southern Africa at the Zambia International Film Festival held in Lusaka last month.
The festival was organised by Botswana’s Ministry of Youth, Sports, Gender and Culture, and is aimed at celebrating cinematic artistry, fostering networking and collaboration among creatives, and promoting healthy competition and growth within the industry.