Stars shine bright at film and theatre awards

Namibia’s film and theatre set were out in glamorous force for the third annual Namibian Film and Theatre Awards which took place at the National Theatre of Namibia on Saturday.

The star-studded event drew actors, directors, filmmakers and crew together for an eventful night as the familiar theatre stage again transformed into a shrine to all the imagination which manifested on stage and screen over the past two years.

Guests paraded and posed on the red carpet dressed to the nines while many showed off the eclectic tastes and style you’d expect from cinephiles and theatre folk.

Guests mingled while actors and directors tried to steady their nerves for what has become the industry’s biggest night.

The show finally got off to a re-start after co-host Barbara Kahatjipara’s drawn-out attempt at a comedic monologue ended.

The first awards of the evening were the recognitions for Lifetime Achievement which were posthumously awarded to Andre Strauss, deputy director for culture at the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, iconic actor and funny man Stanley van Wyk, as well as internationally acclaimed photographer and One Africa co-founder Paul van Schalkwyk. Laurinda Olivier-Sampson, who presented and accepted the award on behalf of Strauss, also received a standing ovation from the audience as she went to speak.

Up next was the award for Best Original Screenplay which went to Kirschka Stoffels and Ingrid Kinda for ‘Coming Home’, which was originally written by Songa Simasiku.

Thereafter the Best Original Music Score award went to Hishishi Papa and Philip Miller for ‘Paths To Freedom’, a documentary tracing the early history of the independence struggle and how many Swapo leaders and combatants went into exile and returned with the skills, weapons and hunger for independence that were needed to turn the oppressive tide. It also took the award for Best Sound Design by Guy Steer and Catherine Meyburgh.

Best Production Design in a short film was awarded to Tanya Stroh for ‘Coming Home’, while ‘A Lifetime of Blues’ took Best Stage and Set Design.

The hotly contested Best Newcomer category went to a deserving Rodelio Bonito Lewis for his performance in ‘Prime Colours’, which also bagged Best Newcomer Director for Zindri Swartz.

‘Tjitji – The Himba Girl’ came through as a sleeper hit, securing the Best Cinematography award to the talented Renier de Bruyn.

Haiko Bolt snatched up Best Editor for ‘Everything Happens for a Reason’, which boasted several nominations on the evening.

Aldo Behrens put in yet another strong showing with the highly acclaimed ‘Jakob Marengo – Lest We Forget’, taking home both Best Musical and Best Script.

The night was not without its upsets as the virtually unknown Dawie Engelbrecht snatched up Best Film Male Actor for OYO’s ‘Now That I Can Talk About It’, ahead of favourites Tshoopara Tshoopara and Ndinomholo Ndilula.

The Best Film Female Actor award also served up a shock, though a well deserved winner. Anna Louw in ‘My Best Interest: Stinky Boy’ managed to wrestle the locally produced marble statuette from Odile Muller and Melissa Reed. One thing to note here is that all three these actresses were nominated for roles in films that shared the theme of gender-based violence.

Best Theatre Supporting Actor went to the phenomenal Helouis Goraseb for her role in ‘The Complete Works of Shakespeare’.

Ndinomholo Ndilula finally got his turn at the podium when he received the award for Best Theatre Male Actor for ‘The Lesson’. Best Theatre Female Actor went to Nelago Shilongoh for her part in the same play, with director Sandy Rudd being awarded Best Theatre Director.

It then comes as no surprise that Sandy Rudd received the award for Best Play for ‘The Lesson’.

Best Music Video Director went to Jana Eleanor Bruckner for the masterful ‘Undefended’- Tonetic featuring Shishani, while ‘Tjitji – The Himba Girl’ took home Best Narrative Film. Jury Special mention went to the documentary on the Herero genocide and diaspora titled ‘Waterberg to Waterberg’.

Florian Schott deservedly took home Best Director for ‘Everything Happens for a Reason’.

The glamorous celebrations then moved over to the Warehouse Theatre where the after party raged until the early hours.

The trailer for the much anticipated local feature film ‘Katutura’ was also screened on the evening and stoked a lot of interest. The local gangster story is set to be released within the next couple of weeks, so watch The Namibian for more exclusive film and theatre news.

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