Siku chache zijazo,msanii Steve Nyerere,ambaye yaelekea ameamua kujikita katika filamu zenye uhalisia fulani hususani zenye mrengo wa kisiasa,anatarajiwa kuzindua filamu yake mpya inayokwenda kwa jina Respect Nyerere ikiwa ni filamu kuhusu baadhi ya matukio au mambo yatokanayo na maisha ya Baba wa Taifa,Hayati Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere.

Steve Nyerere ambaye hivi karibuni alitoa filamu ya Mr.President ambayo ni filamu yenye matukio sambamba na maisha ya Rais wa sasa,Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete,amesema filamu ya Respect Nyerere itazinduliwa rasmi tarehe 14 Februari 2012 katika Hotel ya Serena jijini Dar-es-salaam.

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Jina lake unayemuona hapo juu ni Zuwena Mohamed.Ila kwa wengi anajulikana kama Shilole.Sina hakika kama Shilole jina lake la tokea utotoni au ni jina la kisanii.Ni muigizaji wa filamu nchini Tanzania na yes anaimba pia.

BC inajiandaa kuambaa na Shilole katika mahojiano maalum.Je,unalo swali au maswali ambayo ungependa Shilole ayajibu?Kama jibu lako ni NDIO basi usisite kuyatuma maswali yako kwenda bongocelebrity at gmail dot com(anuani pepe imewekwa hivyo ili kupunguza hackers).

ANGALIZO: Maswali yalenge katika kujenga na sio kubomoa

Picha kwa hisani ya Global Publishers.

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Leo naomba tuhamie kidogo upande wa waigizaji wa kike kwani ni wazi kabisa na wao wanafanya vizuri sana katika kuendeleza fani hii ambayo kwa miongo kadhaa ilipewa kisogo.Mchango wao ni dhahiri.Hapa naomba niwaweke “kikaangoni” Monalisa (Yvonne Cherryl) na Blandina Chagula maarufu kama Johari. Bila shaka umeshawahi kuwaona katika uigizaji wa aina mbalimbali.Endapo ungekuwa na filamu yako na ukawa unatafuta mwigizaji wa kike(lead actress) ungemchagua nani katika ya Monalisa au Johari.Kwa ufupi unadhani nani zaidi kati yao?Kwanini?

Johari

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Unaweza kumpa ushauri hapa au kwa kutembelea blog yake kwa kubonyeza hapa.Hizi hapa baadhi ya picha jinsi alivyo hivi sasa.

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Kwa takribani miezi minne sasa,watanzania na watu wote wanaoongea au kutumia lugha ya Kiswahili wamekuwa wakiburudika na kuelimika kupitia channel mpya kabisa ndani ya DSTV inayokwenda kwa jina Africa Magic Swahili inayopatikana katika namba 127. Hivyo hutokosea ukiamua kuiita Channel 127 ya DSTV.Kama bado hujapata fursa ya kutazama Channel 127,nakushauri ufanye hivyo leo hii.

Nini kilipelekea kuanzishwa kwa Channel hiyo ambayo kila kukicha inazidi kujipatia umaarufu? Inawasaidiaje wasanii wa tasnia ya filamu katika ukanda huu wa Afrika Mashariki na Kati katika kutimiza malengo yao na kupanua soko lao?Je,utaratibu wa kuingiza filamu yako katika Channel hiyo kama wewe ni muundaaji,muongozaji au msanii wa filamu ukoje?

Ili kupata majibu kwa maswali hayo na mengineyo,nilimtafuta Meneja Masoko wa DSTV-Tanzania,Furaha Samalu(pichani).Hapo chini ni maswali niliyomuuliza na majibu kutoka kwake;Fuatana nasi…

BC: Furaha,karibu sana ndani ya BC,pole na kazi.Mambo yanakwendaje?

FS : Mambo ni safi kabisa…Ahsante sana

BC :    Yapo mambo mengi sana ambayo tunaweza kuzungumzia kuhusiana na kazi yako au kazi zenu lakini kwa leo tumekutafuta ili kuzungumzia Channel 127 katika DSTV.Channel hii imeanza rasmi lini na kwanini mkaamua kuanzisha channel hii? Mchakato huo ulikwendaje?

FS : Kwanza kabisa nishukuru sana BC kwa kunipa nafasi ya kuzumza na watanzania na kuwafahamisha zaidi juu ya chaneli yetu maarufu kabisa iitwayo AFRICA MAGIC SWAHILI inayopatikana katika vifurushi vyote vya DStv kwenye chaneli number 127.Africa Magic Swahili ilianza kurushwa kwenye DStv platform tarehe 1st of July 2011 na inaonekana masaa 24 katika nchi zifuatazo Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and the DRC.

DStv iliamua kuanzisha chaneli hii mahususi kabisa kwa nchi za Afica Mashariki kama sehemu pekee ya kuonyesha kazi na utamaduni wa nchi hizi…kwa kuzingatia uwezo na utajiri mkubwa katika fani ya sinema na burudani mabalimbali uliopo katika nchi hizi.

BC : Nimepitapita mitaani na kukuta watu wengi wakitizama Channel 127.Sasa huu wangu unaweza kuwa mtazamo ambao sio sahihi kwa njia moja au nyingine.Kwenu ninyi wenyewe,mpaka hivi sasa mwitikio umekuwaje?

FS : Napenda kuwashukuru sana watanzania na hasa wasanii wa fani mbali mbali kama sinema, muziki na tamthilia kwa muitikio wao mzuri sana ambao unaifanya chaneli yetu hii ya Africa Magic Swahili iendelee kukuwa siku hadi siku.

Mpaka sasa watanzania ndio tunaoongoza kwa kutuma kazi zetu kwenye chaneli hii, nchi zingine za Africa mashariki zikifuata.

BC :    Bila shaka channel 127 ni lulu kwa tasnia ya filamu hapa Tanzania na pia Afrika Mashariki kwa ujumla.Una maoni au mtazamo gani kuhusu soko la filamu nchini Tanzania?

FS : Kwa mtazamo wangu, naona soko hili la filamu linafanya vizuri sana, jitihada nyingi sana zinaonekana kwa wasanii wetu ila ningependa kuwashauri wawe wabunifu zaidi katika kutunga sinema zenye maadili mema kwa watanzania na zenye mafunzo kwa jamii.

Pia wazingatie sana ubora wa kazi zao, ili waweze kupata malipo mazuri kuweza kuboresha maisha yao…hapa nazungumzia upande wa waandaaji au waongozaji sinema, watumie muda kuhakikisha wamekagua kazi zao na kuziweka katika viwango vinavyokubalika.

Mnet kupitia chaneli hii ya Africa Magic Swahili inaandaa mpango maalum kabisa wa kutoa mafunzo kwa waongozaji na waandaaji wa sinema, tamthilia n.k ili kusaidia kuboresha kazi za wasanii hapa nchini. Tutawajulisha ni lini punde utaratibu mzima utakapokamilika.

BC : Kuna mtu mmoja aliwahi kuniambia kwamba filamu,kwa watu wengi,huwa ndio kielelezo cha utamaduni au mtizamo wa nchi husika.Kwamba kama filamu zake nyingi zinakuwa zimejaa ushirikina ushirikina hivi basi bila shaka nchi hiyo ina watu wengi sana wanaoamini katika ushirikina.Kwa kifupi filamu zinaweza kuwa picha halisi ya nchi.Je,ninyi katika DSTV mnaliongeleaje suala kama hili na je kuna kuzingatiwa kwa aina yeyote katika aina za filamu mnazoziweka?

FS : Filamu ni sanaa inayoelezea mazingira na maisha ya watu wa nchi husika. Sisi DStv tunalielewa hili na tunapokea filamu zote zenye mtazamo huo.

BC : Nikiwa katika swali hilo hilo la kuingizwa au kutoingizwa kwa filamu katika network yenu,utaratibu wenu ukoje?Tuseme mimi ni mtengeneza filamu ambaye ningependa filamu yangu irushwe katika Channel 127.Natakiwa kufuata utaratibu gani?

FS : Ni rahisi sana, anachotakiwa kufanya msanii yeyote mwenye kazi yake ailete ofisi zetu za MultiChoice zilizopo barabara ya Ali Hassani Mwiyi na aulizie kumuona Meneja uhusiano wetu Barbara Kambogi au mimi mwenyewe kwa maelezo zaidi.

Na kwa melezo zaidi wanaweza kutembelea www.mnetafrica.com

BC:    Pale DSTV mnacho kitu kinaitwa Bouquet au kwa jina lingine vifurushi.Channel 127 inapatikana katika Bouquet au vifurushi gani? Na kwa faida ya wale ambao hawafahamu bei zenu…zikoje katika hivi vifurushi?

FS: Chaneli ya Africa Magic Swahili inapatikana katika vifurushi nyote vitano vya DStv, hivyo basi wateja wetu wote wataweza kufaidika na burudani mbalimbali kupitia chaneli hii.

DStv ina vifurushi vitano ambavyo ni:

• DStv Access – chenye zaidi ya chaneli 40
  
• DStv family – chenye zaidi ya chaneli 45
  
• DStv Compact – chenye zaidi ya chaneli 50
  
• DStv Compact plus – chenye zaidi chaneli 60
  
• DStv premium – chenye zaidi ya chaneli 90
  

Hivyo basi mtu yeyote anaweza kujipatia huduma yetu na kulipia kifirushi chochote akipendacho kulingana na uwezo wake kisha kuweza kuona kazi na vipaji vya watanzania wenzetu na wasanii wengine mbali mbali kupitia Afica Magic Swahili.

BC: Mwisho una ujumbe gani kwa watanzania hususani wapenzi wa filamu za Kiswahili na pia mambo ya televisheni?

FS: Ujumbe wangu kwa watanzania hasa wapenzi wa filamu, waendelee kuangalia DStv kwani hii ndio huduma pekee ya uhakika inayokupa vipindi mbalimbali vya kuburudisha, kuhabarisha na kuelimisha familia na watu wote kwa ujumla.

Kwa wasanii wetu – waendelee kujitokeza kwa wingi na kuleta kazi zao kwetu ili waweze kufaidika na fursa hii pekee ya kuonyesha kazi na utamaduni wa Mtanzania kwenye jukwaa la kimataifa.

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Photos Courtesy of Ray The Greatest Blog

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Ingawa historia ya filamu za kitanzania au Kiswahili ina historia ndefu(tangu enzi za kina Yombayomba,Chale Mwembamba na Mnene,Maangamizi nk),hakuna ubishi kwamba unapoongelea masuala ya sanaa hiyo hivi sasa,ni vigumu kuwaweka kapuni vijana wawili;Steven Kanumba na Ray Kigosi(kama wanavyoonekana hapo juu pichani).Kwa sababu mbalimbali,zikiwemo wingi wa filamu walizocheza na kuongoza(hili bado halinipi amani ya kweli),ndizo zinazowaweka mbele ya wenzao.

Mbaya au zuri ni kwamba Kanumba na Kigosi ni marafiki.Wenyewe wanapenda kutumia neno “swahiba” wanapotajana iwe ni hadharani au katika blog zao(Ya Kanumba hii hapa na ya Kigosi hii hapa).Pamoja na urafiki walionao,ninavyojua mimi Ray na Kanumba ni washindani. Wamewahi wenyewe kuongelea suala na “kufunikana” kama filamu.Kwamba mimi ni zaidi ya wewe na mambo kama hayo.

Hilo ndilo linalonifanya leo nikuletee wewe msomaji (natumaini u-mpenzi wa filamu za kitanzania[bongo films/movies]) nafasi ya kuwa jaji.Kwa mtizamo wako na kwa jinsi ambavyo umekuwa ukifuatilia filamu au uigizaji wa Steven Kanumba na Ray Kigosi nani unadhani ni zaidi ya mwenzake? Na je unaweza kusema ni kwanini unadhani huyo unayesema ni zaidi ni zaidi ya mwenzake?Una ushauri gani kwake au kwao?

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Endapo unapenda kujua mengi kiasi kuhusu muigizaji Steven Kanumba,sasa papo pahala ambapo unaweza kufanya hivyo kirahisi hata kutoka kwenye simu yako ya kiganjani.Anayo tovuti mpya ambayo kwa mujibu wake mwenyewe,imeboreshwa na kuwa ya kimataifa zaidi.Ni www.kanumba.com. Unaweza kuitembelea kwa kubonyeza hapa.

Naomba nimpongeze Kanumba kwa hatua hii.Natumaini wengine nao watafuata kwani katika ulimwengu wa leo tovuti ni suala muhimu sana katika kujitangaza na kuwasiliana na mashabiki na wanunuzi wa kazi za sanaa kirahisi zaidi.Caution: Hakikisha inakuwa updated mara kwa mara.

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Unaowaona pichani ni baadhi ya waigizaji wa filamu nchini Tanzania.Kuna jina lingine ambalo wanapenda kulitumia wakiwa pamoja.Ni Bongo Movies Stars.Kwa ufupi waigizaji hao ni watu ambao wana umaarufu kwenye jamii.Kuna wengine wana umaarufu kupitia majina yao ya uigizaji kuliko hata majina yao halisi.Je,kwa kuwatazama hapo pichani unaweza kuwataja au ku-tag picha hii?

Pichani ni wiki iliyopita walipokwenda Dodoma kukutana na watunga sheria wa nchi hii.Aliyepo pichani katikati ni Waziri wa Viwanda,Biashara na Masoko,Dr.Cyril Chami na Mbunge wa Viti Maalumu,Vicky Kamata ambaye pia ni msanii/mwimbaji.

Picha:PMO Office

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A couple of weeks ago (almost a month), when browsing the internet and specifically on African Movies’ subject, I came across something that caught my profound attention. I came across a movie titled Taharuki that was/is scheduled to be screened at the New York African Film Festival. As you can guess, it is the name Taharuki Swahili word for Suspense, which generated my curiosity first. It is not very common to see “our films” in such prestigious festivals. And by “our films” I mean films from East Africa, made by East Africans.

It was then that I learned that Taharuki or Suspense in English, a short film, is actually written, produced and directed by one of our own, Ekwa Msangi-Omari (photo above) and one of the actresses in the film is Miriam Chemmoss whom I interviewed back in 2008.

I was then introduced to Ekwa by Miriam just to learn later that she is actually a distant relative of mine! Few weeks after that introduction, I had an opportunity to sit down with her for the interview you are about to read on the film Taharuki which is set against the backdrop of the start of the devastating post-election violence that took place in Kenya in 2007/2008 and has left tens of thousands of Kenyans homeless, traumatized or dead. This film is the fictional account of a man and woman from opposing ethnic tribes who’re working for an underground liberation movement to expose a child-trafficking cartel when something goes wrong, and they’re forced to make tough choices in order to stay alive and complete their mission.

Ekwa has directed for some of the biggest TV shows in East Africa including The Agency (MNET) a 13-part TV series which she created, show-ran, and directed; the hit show Block-D (KBC), and most recently co-created critically ac-claimed Higher Learning (NTV) along with several short films. She’s written for TV and film, and produced several shorts. Weakness, a short film she recently produced, has screened worldwide, including New York, Durban and Brazil and was nominated for a 2010 Kalasha Award and a 2011 AMAA-Award.

Watch the Trailer for Taharuki and then go ahead and read the full interview that follows. Pay close attention on the question of what she thinks about current state of African movies;

BC: Let’s start with you a bit. How did you get into films? Did you go to school for it? Did you act before taking a role of a director? What motivated the shift?

EKWA:
I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker since I was in high school in Kenya, but I can say that I truly had no idea what it entailed! It came from watching so many D-movies on TV all the time and wanting to see something different. One day they showed Spike Lee’s “School Daze” and even though I thought it was the weirdest film I’d ever seen, I decided I was going to do what he did. So I studied Spike Lee, got all his books, read up on him, and applied to his alma matter NYU to the film program and got in.

I got very discouraged along the way, mostly because there weren’t a lot of Black students and it was really hard to find my voice, coming from Africa and being amongst people who had no ideas and no references of what African film could look like. Luckily in my last year of college, one of the professor’s in the African Studies department offered a course on African Cinema and that’s when I was hooked. I did a Master’s degree in African Cinema and then got to work!

BC: How many films have you written, produced and directed so far?

EKWA:
Well, I’ve done all three jobs for my own work but have also done the individual jobs for other projects as well. Let’s see…I’d say I’ve written about 13 shorts, 4 features, created and co-created 4 television series. Then produced over 20 shorts and show-ran a television series. Directing-wise, I’ve done about 13 shorts, 2 televisions series and several other documentaries, promos, corporate videos, etc. It’s so weird to tally them up like that! Basically, I just work Jeff!

BC: Taharuki is a short film but with a strong and powerful message. I personally applaud you for making it. Walk me through the process of making it. How did the idea come about, how long did it take you to write it and then is there any specific message you are trying to send or a question you are trying to answer through this film?

EKWA: Thank you, I’m really pleased with what we accomplished with this film thus far. The idea came about as I was working on and planning for a feature film that I wanted to shoot but didn’t have any work in my repertoire of a similar genre to showcase. So I decided to put on a timer for 45mins, put pen to paper and let whatever happens, happen.

There are a number of thoughts that I had going into this, but the overall idea is one of unity and people working together to protect their own. In Africa, and in Kenya particularly after the 2007/2008 violence, many of my Kenyan peers started to really examine and ponder what it meant to be unified and tribal-blind, because there was an ugliness that came out of that election that took many by surprise. There was angst that had been boiling below the surface, unaddressed for far too long, and even in situations where people thought they were beyond those divisive feelings, they found that wasn’t quite the case. There are issues that have been carried over from our parents’ days, but our parents had very different struggles that don’t necessarily apply in the same way today, and here we’ve taken on those issues without really examining whether they’re still useful or applicable. 2007′s violence was the worst that it has been in a very long time – probably ever – and a lot of people started to really unpack the issues, the identities and ask some hard questions. So this was my idea of what one group of people working together across gender and tribal lines for a common goal in a time of war might look like.

BC: Taharuki has a wonderful cast. You have people like Miriam Chemmoss, Gilbert Owuor, Chris Kamau, and Eric Wainaina on the music side. How did you manage to gather this cast and how was the experience working with all of them. Was this the first time working together?

EKWA: My team was a dream to work with, I’m really proud of them! All three actors are people that I’ve known for many years since primary and secondary school in Kenya, Eric included. I’ve worked with Miriam and Chris before and only threatened to work with Gilbert and Eric, so when this came up I went straight to each, pitched my vision, and happily they agreed to take the risk with me. This was completely a labor of love and belief in each other’s work because no one – cast or crew – got paid on this film. The little money we raised was for food, equipment, some honorariums and a few odds and ends, but they all came on board in faith and I’m grateful for that opportunity. Now I have to work on getting enough money to pay them properly in the sequel!

WARIDI AND KEVIN DISCUSS – L-R MIRIAM CHEMMOSS, GILBERT OWUOR, Photo Credit-MILTON KAM

BC: What was the most difficult thing about shooting the film?

EKWA: Hmmm….well considering our budget, etc. it was actually a very easy and straightforward shoot, but also due to the fact that it was largely pro-bono work, I had to make it as short and sweet as possible and that’s where my producing team really got to shine! We had 30 set set-ups and 3 hours of make up to do in 12 hours on the weekend of daylight savings, in one very small location that was donated to us for one day only. So it was almost like a Game show challenge…but then again, all filmmaking is like that so I suppose our situation wasn’t special! Everyone had to be focussed and on point because we couldn’t afford to waste a single moment on set. Given the fact that people were donating their time and we had the location for the one day only, there wasn’t a possibility of coming back and doing it again if things didn’t work out the first time around, so you know…just a little bit of pressure! The good news is that everyone was healthy and in good spirits, brought positive energy to the set, and we had no disasters or acts of God that were beyond our control, so we managed to complete the mission as planned!

BC: Taharuki is scheduled to be screened at the New York African Film Festival which will take place on Monday April 11^th, 2011 at 8:30pm. How did that come about? Are you nervous about how the audience will react towards it? How is the arrangement for movie fans who’d like to come see Taharuki and other movies?

EKWA: Well I’ve been an active participant and supporter of the African Film Festival for several years so it was a no brainer for me to submit my film to them when we were done. They treat their filmmakers really well and are the biggest African Film Festival in North America to date, with one of the largest archives and probably the largest reach as well. We were very honoured to have our film included in the line up.

Our people have been really supportive and encouraging thus far, and we’ve had some really good responses to the work, so I’m hoping that will remain. There’s always some nervousness when you release your “baby” out into the world after “raising” it in the best way that you possibly can, and there’s no telling what will happen thereafter, but thus far it’s been really positive.

Fans and supporters can get tickets to see the show online at http://www.filmlinc.com/films/series/new-york-african-film-festival or in person at the theatre box office which is at 165 West 65^th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. For other screenings of the film, we post the information on our film website http://taharukithefilm.com/ and people can also contact us through the website to schedule a screening in their area.

BC: What do you think about the current state of African movies?

EKWA: The current state is VERY exciting! There is a lot of very strong, very beautiful, very well crafted work coming out of the continent right now and people are really beginning to sit up and listen to what Africa/ns have to say about themselves which is fantastic!

There is plenty of work to be done still; lots needed in the realm of production support, training, distribution and audience development, but there are lots of very dedicated and brilliant people working on it so it will get done. Film is a very unique art form because it takes an entire team and massive collaboration to get the work done.

Similarly, it takes the same amount of collaboration to get our movies seen and supported. Production is only half of the task, after that we need to get the films out there and SEEN! It’s too expensive to make a movie without significant money and (wo)man power, but there isn’t another medium out there that has the same power to change minds and communicate across any barrier as film does. Music of course does that, but not quite in the same way that film does because film has the images.

As we artists grow and dedicate our time and energies to our work in order to reflect back to our societies the stories and messages that will help our societies to transform and grow, we also need support to keep ourselves replenished so we can give that support back to the society. It is a symbiotic relationship that we need to have, and currently we’re lacking in that regard.

Artists aren’t just frivolous people who refuse to get real work; trust me, no one does this just because they have nothing better to do. It’s HARD work! And it’s also IMPORTANT work, crucial even. What kind of society would we have if no one was out there day and night, working tirelessly to give us a reason to laugh and cry? So when I say that we need support, it’s not just about money. It’s also about encouragement and attitude.

Come see our work, engage us, dialogue, tell people about it, purchase it and show it to your family, demand more local work from our broadcasters and movie houses. Film needs an audience in order for it to work, so let’s work on this together as a society to develop our images: how we see ourselves and how the world gets to know us.

BC: Who are your favourite films directors?

EKWA: That’s a hard one, I don’t have any one person that I really love above all else, but rather, there’s people whose work I admire for different reasons. Spike Lee was the first Black director I’d ever heard of because I grew up in a time and place where we never saw ‘Black films’ and certainly not African films. By the time I went to college to study film, I wasn’t even aware that there were African filmmakers on the continent: a huge shame, considering the plethora of work that’s out there. Anyhow, so Spike was my entry into film and I appreciate his boldness and willingness to experiment (especially in his early films), Ousmane Sembene of course, for his persistence, his craftsmanship, and ability to make a very complex point so accessible and non-pretentious; Darren Aronofsky for how visceral his work is; Ang Lee, Susanne Bier and Fernando Meirelles tell really good stories and I love their style.

BC: After Taharuki (Suspense) what next?

EKWA: Well I’m in development on a number of projects, but most immediately I’m developing the sequel to Taharuki (Suspense); a feature film which is currently titled Sweet Justice. The feature takes the story from a different angle of the wife; an apolitical college professor, who comes to Nairobi City after the Post Election Violence to collect her dead husband’s remains and discovers his death was a murder for unexplained political reasons since she knew nothing of his political activity. Against better advice, she hunts for answers resulting in her son’s kidnapping, and she’s forced to seek help from a group of street boys and an underground liberation movement in order to rescue him before it’s too late. I’m really excited about the story and the team that I hope to work with, and Inshallah, will be developing the script at the Babylon International Workshop this year.

BC: Thank you for your time Ekwa. All the best.

EKWA: Thank you Jeff, it was a pleasure! Aluta Continua!

For More Information about this film including lots of photos from the set of Taharuki, please visit http://taharukithefilm.com/

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