THE setting is Campbell Theatre in Kadoma and for the first time European Film Festival in Zimbabwe took its award-winning films including the French Film to the sleepy city once renowned for its booming textile industry.
In terms of the creative and the cultural industry, the Cambell Theatre in Kadoma has over the past 60 years been popular for the Pantomime, which involves music, jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas.
Over the years, children and adult thespians compete in auditions for telling their own stories about Christmas.
This time around it was the European Film Festival which screened the Bioskop Short Film Competition themed Beyond Bounderies: Empowering Women Through Film.
The Kadoma audience watched the award -winning films; Chasing Levels- by Dumie Manyathela 18.01min which was the BEST DIASPORA NARRATIVE; Therapist by Admire Zimbeva 5.00min; BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY and Fat Bastard by Jonathan Samukange 7.41min; My Brother’s Keeper by Tinashe Dorobeni 4.29min; and the BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS winning film by Chiedza Rwodzi - In the film Anne . 18.06min.
The 10-day European Film Festival cinematic adventure started at the vibrant Mbare Art Space in Harare from October 10 to 13 and on the 15th was in Kadoma at Campbell Theatre and progressed to Gweru Memorial Library on the 16th. From Gweru Memorial Library, it will run in Bulawayo at Ster Kinekor from October 18 to 20.
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Several teachers and students from the Rock Foundation School found the films helpful as they linked it to the Visual and Performance Arts VPA subject taught in their schools.
In addition to that, the students were also inspired by award- winning images from the European Union -funded Photography Competition. Batsirai Mwatsika, the matron at the Rock Foundation School said they had learnt a lot that they have to live well as families.
Campbell Theatre manager Eddy Tembo said he wishes to see the European Film Festival to grow into a mega festival in the coming years.
“The Campbell Theatre has been here for over sixty years and it is sponsored by John Mark and run by a community of thespians and patrons who also perform their creative works. In future we will be looking forward to engaging more school children and adults as much as we can.
"There is one way of expressing ourselves and the Pantomime has been running for years and it even progressed during the restricting time of COVID-19.
“This December we are looking forward to a bigger two-day Pantomime Festival. This partnership with the European Union brings us a lot of excitement and we are looking forward to it grow bigger and bigger," Tembo added.