Lynn Strydom’s on screen debut in ‘100 Bucks’

While women candidly confess their inability to take their eyes off Ryan Gosling, walk past shoe shops or visit rest rooms on their own, one thing local ladies feel entirely able to do is write, direct, produce and act in their own films. ‘100 Bucks’, a Namibia Film Commission (NFC) short film written and directed by Oshosheni Hiveluah and produced by Mutaleni Nadimi is proof of the aforementioned conviction. It also impresses in the risky business of starring first time actress, Lynn Str

With ‘screaming fan in an Elvis play’ at age 12 as her first and only sortie into the cinematic, Strydom admits that she is a little wet behind the ears. But when the model, diamond company stock controller and certified hotel manageress heard ‘100 Bucks’ calling, she felt she had no choice but to declare herself ready for her close-up.“I actually had a wedding to attend in Swakopmund the weekend of the audition and because the audition line was so long I called my friends to tell them that I would probably only be there by 20h00,” says Strydom. “I ended up auditioning at 21h00 and I didn’t make it to the wedding and even though I had never acted before there was just something in me telling me to wait and to go for it.”The rest, like this film, is ‘herstory’. The urban multi-narrative follows a hundred buck note through the hands, lives and hopes of several characters, dwelling on Strydom who trades coquetry for cash as Tameka – a bar woman in one of Windhoek’s most notorious nightspots. Though the film hinges on the central theme of money, what it means to people, what people will do for it and how the value of a hundred bucks rises and falls depending on the desperation of an individual situation, Strydom believes the film pays special attention to Namibian women not only in production but also in characterisation. “My character is in her late twenties, she was studying but she has a child out of wedlock and has to make all kinds of sacrifices to give the child the best life she can,” says Strydom. “This is definitely a scenario that has been played out by a number of Namibian women and I think that her sacrifices and her determination to study again someday is something Namibian women in similar situations can be proud of.”Endorsing Tameka’s story as a legitimate Namibian one and admitting that this story is close to her heart for personal reasons, Strydom is also thrilled at what the all female production team means for Namibian women. “The fact that the initial team was made up entirely of women is amazing to me. From the beginning it was women auditioning us and then for the film to be directed and produced by women is just gorgeous,” says Strydom. “This experience has been very special because I think many Namibian women haven’t realised their potential. Things like this really boost them. It let’s them see that times have changed and that this is our time, myself included. Just seeing women take control in such a technical industry is so exciting.”As for Strydom, who admits to fluctuating between cringing and cart wheeling at the thought of seeing herself on screen, producer Nadimi says: “Lynn makes an impassioned acting debut in ‘100 Bucks’ after a competitive audition for the female lead in this urban drama. She displays a wide range of emotions to fulfil the demands of the script and is set to continue making her mark in the local film and entertainment industry.” There you have it. A film by femmes but not strictly for the ladies, ‘100 Bucks’ is a film for anyone who has ever had a dollar and has had to ask themselves the timeless question of whether they ‘would risk it all for the love of money?’* Catch Lynn Strydom in ‘100 Bucks’ at the NFC short film premieres this April.

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