Actress and producer Siphesihle Ndaba chats to actress, author and model Refilwe Modiselle at the opening of the Joburg Film Festival.
Image: Supplied
The eighth edition of the Joburg Film Festival officially kicked off at Theatre on the Square, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton.
The festival takes place at a time when the industry is facing numerous challenges. Festival Curator Nhlanhla Ndaba noted in his address that despite everything, people in the industry have shown resilience.
The opening of the Joburg Film Festival usually oozes with star power; this is the time the top directors, heads of wardrobe, producers, and actors set out and have their moment in the limelight, but it seems they may have missed the memo or just aren’t here to “feel the frame”.
The red carpet situated outside of the Theatre on the Square couldn’t have been mistaken for a Mzansi Magic affair. “Inimba” is the channel's viewer favourite, and three of their stars grace the red carpet – Siyabonga Shibe, Nkhanyiso Makhanya, and Sisa Hewana.
Former “Gomora” actors Ntobeko Sishi and Siphesihle “Cee Cee” Ndaba have grown in their careers since they were on the Mzansi Magic telenovela. Sishi appeared in the Joburg Film Festival opening film, the thought-provoking “Laundry (Uhlanjululo)”. Ndaba makes her debut as a producer at the Joburg Film Festival with her debut film, “Lil_ith”.
“This has been my dream for the longest time. The film itself is such a beautiful story, we are telling about post-apartheid Johannesburg. I’m so happy to be a part of this kind of storytelling.”
Not only is Ndaba, the co-producer of “Lil_ith”, but she also acts in the film explained that switching roles between actor and producer was “tough”.
“The actor in me has all these dreams and ideas, and I wanna go big and do all these things, but the producer in me is like we can’t afford that. We got to be strategic; this is what we have the budget for, this is what we need to. We need to save this for marketing.
“Your mind becomes so strategic and admin-focused as opposed to this flowery person”.
Ndaba added that it’s important for creatives to be a place like the Joburg Film Festival as it’s a place to discover new talent, directors, films, genres and stories. “Actors coming from all walks of life coming together, places and platforms like this are important for the growth of the South African creative market.”
Actress and producer Tarina Patel, has been attending the Joburg Film Festival for several years, shared her excitement for the eighth edition. “I literally feel it that its going to be the most epic one ever and that’s a good thing because it means we getter better and better.
“We’ve got such an exciting lineup of speakers and the topics are incredible and the films are exciting.”
The Joburg Film Festival takes place from March 3-8, across Nu Metro Hyde Park, Theatre on the Square, Artistry, Sandton and other partner cinemas,
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