Local Creatives Bag Multiple Award Nominations

The nominees are out, and the mood is electric as the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards (NTFAs) prepare to add various feathers to local creatives’ caps.

While some contenders are nominated for multiple awards, others are set to break ground as the inaugural winners of new honours.

Leading the film pack are Errol Geingob’s ‘Speel Aan’ and Tim Huebschle’s ‘#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm’, which have both bagged eight nominations. Perivi Katjavivi’s ‘Under the Hanging Tree’ is not far behind with six nods. In theatre, Rodney Gariseb’s ‘Naked Spaces’ is a clear frontrunner with ten nominations while ‘Aoni Aes’ lands a solid six.

Racking them up across mediums, Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO) has earned five nominations in film for ‘Lukas’ and ‘Kapana’ and a further nine in the new category of dance for ‘A Little Prince in Namibia’, ‘A Picassiana Dance’ and ‘Remembering Johnny’.

Also nominated for multiple theatre awards are Ndayola Ulenga for ‘The Wasp’ and Patrick Sam for ‘Coming Home Dead’.

Actors Chantell ‘Diolini’ Uiras, Dawie Engelbrecht and Hazel Hinda are each nominated for performance awards in both theatre and film, while Bret Kamwi is nominated in theatre, film and in the new best web series category.

Late theatremakers Cynthia Schimming and David Ndjavera are nominated posthumously.

Ndjavera is nominated for best supporting male actor in ‘Under the Hanging Tree’, and Schimming for best stagecraft: costume and wardrobe design for ‘Hereroland’, alongside Lizette Kavari.

Competing against themselves are Haiko Boldt, Kulan Ganes and Philippe Talavera, who are nominated for best editor, best costume design and makeup and best choreographer in two different productions.

Back with a new dance category, more actor awards and a number of new classifications after a six-year absence, the return of the NTFAs has been celebrated by local creatives.

“The return of the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards is incredibly significant. Awards do more than celebrate excellence. They restore momentum, visibility and morale within the industry. Over the past few years, many theatremakers have continued creating despite limited platforms for recognition,” says Gariseb.

“Having the NTFAs back signals that the work matters, that it is being seen, and that there is a structure honouring artistic labour. For me, it feels like a homecoming moment for the industry. It reconnects us as practitioners and reminds the public that Namibian theatre is alive, ambitious and evolving.”

Gariseb is nominated for best staged production, best script and best director for ‘Naked Spaces’. Tsatago Immanuel Garoeb and Eathan Madison are nominated for best stagecraft: costume and wardrobe design and best stagecraft makeup, respectively. The production also earned three of the six best actor awards for Odile Gertze, Melgisedek Nehemia and Jeanne-Danae Januarie. Rodelio Lewis is nominated for best supporting actor and Michael Nakale is in the running for best newcomer actor.

“With ‘Naked Spaces’, I wanted to create a piece that was ambitious in both scale and execution. In terms of performance, I pushed the actors towards vulnerability. The goal was not to ‘perform emotions’, but to inhabit tension truthfully. That honesty is what I believe resonated,” says Gariseb.

Reflecting on Namibian theatre at large, Gariseb commends an industry he has witnessed become more self-aware and daring.

“There is a noticeable shift towards original work, stronger dramaturgy and higher technical standards. Writers are more daring, the stories are more complex and performances are increasingly layered and raw,” he says. “We are on the right path. If we maintain discipline, collaboration and artistic courage, the next six years could define an entirely new era for the industry.”

For Huebschle, the return of the NTFAs provides additional motivation for storytellers to continue crafting compelling narratives.

‘#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm’ is nominated for best feature film and best direction by Huebschle.

Haiko Boldt is nominated for best editing and best cinematography. Ginge and David Benade have earned a nod for best sound design and music. Chantell Uiras is nominated for best supporting female actor and Kulan Ganes is nominated for best costume design and make-up. The film is also nominated for best production design by Stephan Eins, Jennifer Bassingthwaighte and Ernst Steynberg.

RECOGNITION

“The recognition of the various ‘#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm’ team members and their commitment to their craft is a recognition of the incredible teamwork that made the film possible in the first place,” says Huebschle.

Considering the evolution of the local film industry, Huebschle notes a push for broader audiences without the loss of authenticity.

“Over the past three years we saw a lot of commissioned content being produced locally for MultiChoice and its various platforms. Nowadays, we as Namibian filmmakers have to deliver to international broadcast standards, which offers an opportunity to us,” says Huebschle.

“We tell our local stories with a greater audience in mind and consider how they will watch our content. That doesn’t mean we lose the authenticity, quite the contrary. The more uniquely Namibian stories we tell, the more global appeal these stories have because they are human stories, whether told in feature-length or in short form.”

In the best short film category, the nominees are Roger Rafael’s ‘The B2 Passage’, Laudika Hamutenya’s ‘Emanya’ and Ndakalako Shilongo’s ‘Momeya’. Rafael, Hamutenya and Shilongo are each nominated for best newcomer director.

‘Ompata’, ‘Rock the Boat’ and ‘Tsek’ are nominated for best web series and the best documentary nominees are ‘The Sea People of the Namibian Coast’, ‘Walvis Tale’ and ‘The Weight of Tomorrow’.

As dance debuts as a new NTFAs category, Talavera praises the recognition of an art form he says requires intense physicality, discipline and constant training.

“Our first dance project, ‘The Namibian Odysseus’, dates back to 2008, so we feel these nominations recognise the work done over the past 18 years,” says Talavera.

OYO is nominated for nine dance awards across three productions.

For ‘A Little Prince’, Sydney Farao is nominated for best supporting dancer and Justin Tshabalala and William Gaoseb are nominated for best newcomer dancer. Talavera and Jeffrey Ndjahare are nominated for best choreographer and best supporting dancer in ‘A Picassiana Dance’.

‘Remembering Johnny’ is nominated for best choreography by Talavera, while Desmond Kamerika and Mary Jane Andreas land nominations for best lead dancer and Joe Nakapale earns a best newcomer dancer nod.

“I hope the new dance category will inspire upcoming dancers and choreographers. It is not an easy medium. I was happy – especially in 2025 – to see ballet, more dance productions, like ‘Land’ by Haymich Olivier, ‘People of Song’ with choreography by Marchell Linus, and some international pieces such as the Indonesian event at the end of the year,” says Talavera.

“Locally, we are a small community. I think it is important to open ourselves to the world and to promote collaboration with other artists,” he says.

“We still have a long way to go to professionalise this sector. But dance is a universal language and I hope to see many more productions in the years to come.”

The Namibian Theatre and Film Awards will take place at the National Theatre of Namibia in Windhoek ßon 28 March. Follow the event online for the full list of nominees.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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