Celebrating all things storytelling – whether on stage or on the big screen – the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards (NTFAs) is helping to elevate the industry by awarding the best actors, set designers, directors and other industry players.
The biannual awards show took place at the National Theatre of Namibia last Saturday evening. Staged in partnership with the Namibia Film Commission (NFC), the glamorous evening was held under the theme ‘Creating Tomorrow Today’.
Winners in 14 categories in film and 11 in theatre were revealed at the awards, following a marked increase in entries received. NFC executive secretary Florence Haifene was particularly pleased about the growth of the industry.
“Sixty-one entries were received, of which 56 were adjudicated. Our categories also increased from 13 to 16, with the introduction of two new categories – best student film and best corporate support.”
Senga Brockerhoff was the biggest winner of the night, scooping the best musical, best overall play and best director statues.
Brockerhoff said the best overall play award for the musical ‘Every Woman’ meant a lot to her.
“It is a musical and I love musicals. I think they are a genre of theatre that stands a fighting chance in this digital age. Also, the overall play accolade means I managed to pull together all the elements – script, cast, etc – to produce the best play. This is a huge compliment for me.”
Brockerhoff said the process of staging ‘Every Woman’ had its fair share of challenges and obstacles.
“I was so excited to be directing an all-female cast, but was also very aware of the focus it would take to manage the strong feminine energies and personalities for six weeks,” she said.
The project also struggled to secure financing. “We were turned down for sponsorship, so I ended up investing my own funds. There was also a lack of rehearsal venues and the busy schedules of the cast. Before opening night, I had to take on a role and start learning lines along with dealing with everything else. Those last two weeks were a mess of exhaustion, anxiety and tears for me.”
Over the years she has noticed that the industry is often faced with challenges with regards to financing, such as a lack of sponsorhips and venues that are too expensive as well as poor audience attendance.
“It’s so disheartening when you work on a project for weeks. You put in money and effort and then audiences don’t show up,” she said.
Perhaps the youngest ever winner at the NTFAs, 10-year-old Camilla Jo-Ann Daries impressed with her performance in the short film ‘Baxu and the Giants’, which earned her the prestigous best female actor award.
“Yes, I knew that my performance was good, but I didn’t think it was that good for me to win. When I won, I felt very special,” she said.
Daries said one of the main reasons she joined the industry was to encourage Namibian children to watch local films and help to protect our animals.
She added she particularly enjoyed working with director Florian Schott and Kulan Ganes, who was in charge of make-up and wardrobe.
“I went to church when they announced the auditions. My mother told me to go. At first I was very shy, but later thought ‘why not?’ My favourite part of the film was the scene where I gave Ouma a cup of tea because my grandmother died before I was born, so it felt like connecting with my real grandmother.”
With a role in two nominated films, Girley Jazama was pleased that both ‘Baxu and the Giants’ and ‘The White Line’ won awards.
As a co-writer for ‘Baxu and the Giants’, Jazama took pride in the film’s awards for best production design and best editing. ‘The White Line’, in which she starred, won the best script, best newcomer director and best audience choice awards.
Jazama agrees that funding poses a challenge to the industry because it is perceived to be a risky area to invest in. She said people think there are no guarantees for investors to make their money back.
“How else will we grow the industry? If we have the right financial backing, we will be in a position to ensure that investors make their money back. At the moment, we make movies on shoestring budgets, which require us to come up with innovative solutions, which sometimes affects the overall output.”
Despite these challenges, Jazama firmly believes there is demand for Namibian stories globally.
“Right now, our budgets do not allow us to be able to pay cast and crew what they are truly worth because there is no money.”
Film producer and director Desiree Kahikopo, who won the award for best newcomer director, said winning gave her the determination to keep going.
“I was nervous about directing the film. There were so many things I had to learn. It has been the hardest lesson, but it was fun and a dream come true for me. We really put everything into this project.”
Having been part of the industry for some years, she said she has noticed talent alone will not make you successful. She said passion for what you do, hard work, persistence and tenacity are also needed.
“Also, with a performance time of about two and a half hours, it was emotionally intense and required a lot of focus.”
“We had our ups and downs like with any production during rehearsals, but come performance nights, everybody brought out the very best of their talent. We pulled together and made an amazing production. Some audience members even came back to watch it a second time,” Hinda recalled.
Three lifetime achievement awards were bestowed on the night. A posthumous award was bestowed on !Nxau #Toma for his role in the renowned ‘The God’s Must Be Crazy’ films, while Banana Shekupe and Hans Struppie Reinhardt were also acknowledged for their contributions.
