The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Life Reporter
LOCAL female filmmaker Priscilla Sithole seeks to impart the knowledge that she got at the recently held Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in South Africa, held last week.
She said in an interview, upon her arrival, Bulawayo and Zimbabwe as a whole were lagging behind in the industry.
“A lot is happening; the South African film industry is way different. They are very much ahead of us, they have funding and companies appreciate them and invest in the industry. Whereas here there is serious lack of funding and appreciation thereof of the industry,” she said.
Sithole, who went as a representative of the City of Bulawayo through the aide of the Bulawayo City Council, said it was about time that Bulawayo gained consciousness of the resources around and utilise them to market the city as a film destination.
“Bulawayo used to be a film destination. Many movies and films were shot here by various international film makers. During our visit to the fest, we managed to engage a number of companies and individuals that are willing to partner Bulawayo in acquiring equipment and other important information pertaining to the film industry,” she said.
Sithole also added that she had engaged film distributors that would soon be visiting the country for meetings and workshops on the industry.
“Bulawayo has a lot to offer. We should use this as a platform to revive our nation. We can do this through promotional films and this will also boost our tourism sector, which will also boost business in the country,” she said, adding that she would soon be holding workshops around the city to disseminate what she had learnt.
DIFF is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa.
It is one of the oldest and largest film festivals held in Southern Africa and presents over 200 screenings celebrating the best in South African, African and international cinema.
Most of the screenings are either African or South African premieres.
The festival also offers filmmaker workshops, industry seminars, discussion forums, and outreach activities that include screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent, and much more including Talent Campus Durban and a Durban FilmMart co-production market.
@peterkmatika
