Praise for the Premieres

ANYONE in the bad business of wiping out the entire population of Namibia’s film industry must be tearing at their hair and weeping into their knuckles at the thought that, had they placed an explosive in the National Theatre of Namibia’s (NTN) lobby last Thursday and Friday, they could have done the very thing in a manner that would have made Michael Bay emerald with envy.

Boasting the film famed likes of Oshosheni Hivelua, Tim Huebschle, Ernst Steynberg, Joel Haikali, Perivi Katjavivi, Vickson Hangula, Obed Mvula, Marinda Stein, Cecil Moller and Virginia Witts, the Namibia Film Commission (NFC) Short Film Project premieres were the type of unifying events that mixed the movie monarchs with the exciting up-and- comers.Introducing Lynn Strydom, Thereza Kahorongo, Matjiua Kauapirura and Nicola Theron as the leading ladies likely to crack the Namibian Film and Television Award nominations for best film actress with Strydom and Kahorongo also lucking out as the event’s best dressed, the seven films’ scopeand sheer number of newcomers, presented an unprecedented capriciousness when it came to who and what was going to win over the audience.After being charmed by the gorgeous Esi Chase, who seemed to be channelling her inner Halle Berry as the evening’s garrulous host, and being surprised with a visit by ‘Tsotsi’ (2005) actor Presley Chweneyagae, the mood in the NTN was electric and the most innocuous sentiments making use of the phrase, ‘Namibian film’ were enough to send the audience into a fit of ardent applause.It was into this atmosphere that director Ernst Steynberg launched the first film of the evening; Lara- Lyn Ahrens’ angst-ridden drama, ‘Reflection.’ Starring and written by Ahrens, ‘Reflection’ had the unlucky honour of being the first but arguably the feeblest film out of the seven.Telling a trite tale of drug abuse and redemption through art, ‘Reflection’ failed to offer any insight into its unique society and while there is much to be gained in telling a universal story, there is also much to be lost when the material comes off as internationally interchangeable and immature.Not all negative, ‘Reflection’ did present exciting new actresses Lynne Jacobs and Nadja Heger in consummate supporting roles; Jacobs stole the show as the amiable alcoholic mother to Ahren’s moody misfit and Heger nailed the role of alluring antagonist, despite her minimal screen time.Next to premier was Oshosheni Hivelua’s, ‘100 Bucks’ which rolled its credits to a thunderous applause after presenting a masterful mix of a dream cast replete with a script that was as comedic as it was concerned with the real issues of rocky relationships, pie-in-the-sky township schemes and the everyday affair of living, loving and looking for cash in sunny Windhoek.Effortlessly coloured with Namibian flavour, humour and idiosyncrasy, ‘100 Bucks’ is a triumph of storytelling and technical ability ranging from the upbeat score by the consummate Steffen List to the stellar cast including Onesmus ‘Slick’ Upindi, Steven Afrikaner, David Ndjavera, Tanya Terblanche, Perivi Katjavivi, Rupee Tjitendero and the surprisingly stirring Strydom.Hot on Hivelua’s heels was Tim Huebschle’s ‘Dead River,’ which stood in a class of its own in the genre of historical drama. Lending some sobriety and significanceto the proceedings, ‘Dead River’ was probably the most astonishing example of what the Namibian film industry is capable of not only in its honour of having the legendary Alessandro Alessandroni compose its score, but also in its intrepid and unflinching subject matter.Mature, hopeful and a resolutely reconciliatory, ‘Dead River’ was a firm favourite which elicited that elusive “Ahhh” from an audience who will not easily shake its audacious message or its earworm of a score.So ended the first night of premieres and the next was a night filled with newcomers. ‘Tjiraa’ written by Toucy Tjijombo, directed by Krischka Stoffels and starring Matjiua Kauapirura and Thereza Kahorongo was first in the films for the evening and presented a compelling story of culture versus modernity relevant to Herero traditions.With the westernised Herero woman played wonderfully by Kauapirura alongside the engaging and often unwittingly humorous Kahorongo, ‘Tjiraa’ captured the audiences imagination by presenting a uniquely Namibian slice of culture in a story that sees society moving forward in a way that elicited riotous applause against spousal abuse in the name of tradition or otherwise.Writer Jessica Ngozu’s ‘All She Ever Wanted’ was next to fill the screen and seemed to suffer from the same plague of the pedestrian that made ‘Reflection’ so underwhelming. Presenting a story in which a woman yearns for a baby after suffering a miscarriage, ‘All She Ever Wanted’ is a meandering melodrama whose only redeeming factors are the performances by onscreen sisters Kirsty Watermeyer and Nicola Theron, who fight valiantly against a plot which takes them somewhere left of nowhere.Though it sounded super in synopsis, Vickson Hangula’s ‘Place of Peace’ was somewhat sketchy. Beginning with a thrillingly ‘X- files’ type reunion in which a wife eerily confronts a man who has been missing for over a week, ‘Place of Peace’ struggles to find the sense of suspense and surprise that is integral to successful paranormal pictures.Solid in its concept of a mystic Namibia in which issues of the seemingly strange are investigated by the fictional Paranormal Investigations Department of the Namibian Police Force, ‘Place of Peace’ flounders in its execution and comes off as developmental rather than audience ready.Last and laudably local was Joel Haikali’s ‘Try’. Effortlessly cool in everything from its stylised poster by Nina Turtola, to its presentation of a city in which classy women have sex with thieves on rooftops, ambulances drive away because you don’t have medical aid and desperate parents use stolen money to save their little girl’s life, ‘Try’ employs a successful multi-narrative in which Windhoek proves to be even smaller than it seems.Slick, stylised and boasting a striking score which includes an edgy, ‘Try’ rap by Mark Mushiva and Becoming Phil, Joel Haikali’s latest looks great and feels even better. A daring debut performance by Tuli Shityuwete seals the deal as does a humorous and humbling performance by Norman Job,who plays a taxi driver with an unexpected heart of gold.That’s all seven as they were told and presented to invited guests by Senga Brockerhoff, Tim Huebschle, DB Audio and tireless executive producer, Cecil Moller. Though it remains to be seen how the films will fare when not watched by the production teams personal rent- a-crowd, it is safe to say that ifyou want to see a ‘Reflection’ of Namibian society but don’t fancy doing it beside a ‘Dead River’ then you will do well to ‘Try’ and take your ‘Tjiraa’ to one of the public viewings in a ‘Place of Peace’ for much less than ‘100 Bucks’ because if the Namibian film industry were a woman this would be, ‘All She Ever Wanted’.Public viewings will be announced on advice from the NFCand patrons are urged to watch the press for public release dates.

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