It’s been seven months since director Florian Schott and producer Obed Emvula first dazzled the Namibian crowd with what all agree was an elegant but some say ironically elitist premiere of a movie filmed, celebrating and set in Katutura.
Holding high the name, the stories and the randoms roped in to set the scene, it comes as no surprise that ‘Katutura’s’ (2015) continued lack of a public release has earned the ire of those still waiting to see what all the fuss was about after the film’s unprecedented hype, swank soiree and disappearance into seeming cinematic obscurity.
Though crowds clamoured for more screenings, a week at Ster-Kinekor and even a night on NBC, over half a year later, the reality is that most Namibians are yet to set eyes on the locally famed feature film and the reason, in a nutshell and in the words of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, is: “That’s entertainment!”
“Our producer Obed Emvula and his representatives in Canada have been busy setting up international distribution, which takes time,” says ‘Katutura’ director Schott.
“We wanted to show the film again but, around the time of the premiere, we became aware that piracy was a huge issue. Some people even claimed they have the film and want to sell it. Since this would have threatened our international deals, we decided to first get everything in order and then show the film again.”
Battling piracy and making sure their film was still eligible for distribution deals and festivals which sometimes preclude films from prior public release, much like many independent films, ‘Katutura’ fell into the negotiation and waiting game that is the reality of any film not produced by a studio.
“Unfortunately, this happens very regularly to independent films,” says Schott. “If your film has not been produced by a studio and has a release slot, it takes a while to get recognised. Deals have to be made in all different territories and you have to be in contact with festivals, distributors and television stations.”
Happily, while the country has cursed, Tulinane Entertainment along with Schott have been securing ‘Katutura’s’ release at various film festivals as well as a number of cinematic releases in various African countries at the beginning of 2016.
As for the much anticipated local release, the ‘Katutura’ movie month is officially November. No, really.
“We will finally bring the film to Katutura in November and we will have a full theatrical run at Ster-Kinekor in the same month,” says Schott.
“This will be followed by a number of township screenings around Namibia in the coming months and after that we will release the film on BluRay, DVD and VOD.”
Though it may seem cold comfort to those who feel they have waited far too long for a movie innately close to their hearts, the bright side is that, while we have waited, the film has been spit polished for the world’s viewing pleasure.
“While securing international deals and festival showings, we also relooked at the film with some distance as well as reactions from people we showed it to – not only in Namibia but also in North America and Europe,” says Schott.
“And, with this in mind, we decided to use the break after the premiere to create the best possible film. This meant going back to the edit, taking out a number of scenes, working on the rhythm of the film overall and tweaking a couple of moments to bring the best out of the film. I’m grateful that we got the chance to work on ‘Katutura’ again – and make it as good as we can.”
Eagerly approaching the public release with the hope that audiences who have patiently waited to see the film will embrace it like the first audience did, Schott promises that the wait is almost over and that audiences both locally and abroad will finally get to see what we can achieve in this country.
“Everybody who saw the film at the premiere will get a whole new experience. This final version of ‘Katutura’ feels very different from what people have seen so far and I look forward to people’s reactions,” says Schott.
“We can’t wait to share the film with everybody who wants to see it – finally.”
