NATIONAL Arts Merit Awards (Nama) winning filmmaker, Sydney Taivavashe, has partnered with Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) to produce a film, Solo NaMutsai, critiquing the various socio-cultural issues ravaging university students from poor backgrounds.
BY TINOTENDA MUNYUKWI
The film written by Charles Munganasa, which partly draws its inspiration from the popular Jonah Moyo song, Solo naMutsai, marks a second partnership between the Masvingo-based filmmaker and the University, after an ongoing project, Gonarezhou, a film that encourages the preservation of the country’s fauna and flora.
An elated Taivavashe, who is the film director last week told NewsDay that partnering with the tertiary institution on the film projects is a fulfilment of his dream of developing Masvingo into a power house in the local arts sector.
“Masvingo is fast-growing into a powerhouse in the Zimbabwe arts industry, and this is to further push the growth, with the university’s support,” he said.
The film that roped in GZU students as the majority of the cast, presents two village lovers who are accorded university scholarships and are confronted with exposure to city life, creating a risk that might derail their dreams.
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Taivavashe said: “Solo NaMutsai are like our own Romeo and Juliet (in Masvingo), and you can see that GZU is a fast growing Zimbabwean university particularly in the arts, therefore, we decided to partner with them and make a statement.”
The film is a commercial project funded by GZU and will see a wide DVD release to the public, after it has premiered at Masvingo’s Charles Austin theatre on May 19.
Taivavashe has hailed the GZU partnership and challenged other universities in the country to emulate the same in supporting the arts.
“From pre-production to post-production, their commitment (GZU) to the project is inspiring. We had a great time filming Solo NaMutsai with the other producer, Juliet Yule, who is also a lecturer at the university. Nelned Pictures and Jubilee arts worked with the university to make sure the film sets the pace for other university” Taivavashe said.