African film has until recently been an industry monopolised by West African countries like Nigeria and Ghana and, of course, South Africa. But that doesn\u2019t mean other countries have no stories to tell.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, it was just a matter of time and for Malawi the moment is being defined by noble and steady strides which are being made.<\/p>\n
The latest being the premiere of Flora Suya\u2019s My Mother\u2019s Story <\/em>which is a patent testament of a future already broken through; a new era that has to be nurtured at all cost.<\/p>\n For those who patronised the premiere and DVD launch of My Mother\u2019s Story <\/em>at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on Saturday night, vanity lost it all.<\/p>\n They got the ultimate value for their money\u2014and the faint-lit auditorium of the massive BICC just summed up the excitement.<\/p>\n Suya herself must have been absolutely confident with what she had come up with, for you don\u2019t just invite Vice-President Saulos Chilima and his spouse Mary to an event that lacks lustre.<\/p>\n The film is focusing on hurdles women face, and strategies they use both for their own and their children\u2019s survival, with Suya playing the role of the main actor, Tadala.<\/p>\n The patrons were heard responding massively as they watched the one-hour-thirty-minute film. It was clear from their reactions they were appreciating the artistry.<\/p>\n The Vice President Chilima as well as Zambian High Commissioner to Malawi, Salome Mwananshuku, were obviously part of the satisfied audience.<\/p>\n One patron Omega Malikhwa could not hide her excitement at the end of the movie.<\/p>\n \u201cThis movie is great. It depicts what actually happens in society. There are a number of lessons that we can draw from it.<\/p>\n This is a masterpiece. At least, Malawi is growing in the film industry. Possibly very soon we will become a force to reckon with in the film industry,\u201d Malikhwa said.<\/p>\n It could possibly explain why the patrons were rooted in their chairs at the end of the film, before massive handclapping.<\/p>\n Actor and drama lecturer at Mzuzu University Misheck Mzumara was equally impressed with the production.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a mature production. Flora has shown the talent she has. Everything in the film is well-coordinated. Even the theme itself reflects what is happening in Malawi,\u201d Mzumara said.<\/p>\n Gospel singer Gloria Manong\u2019a who composed the film\u2019s theme song was over the moon for having taken part in the project.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to have contributed to this film. It is a great film. When I was approached to do the song, I took it as a great opportunity. I\u2019m glad that my song has contributed to the greatness of this film. I thank God for that,\u201d said Manong\u2019a.<\/p>\n Suya, who wrote the story and directed the movie alongside Bester Kauwa thanked patrons for supporting her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy with the response. It has been massive. It has been a product of dedication and hard work. I thank God for this great production,\u201d Suya said.<\/p>\n The film which was shot in Lilongwe, though, has some unresolved issues, including the actual telling of Tadala\u2019s story to her daughter Khumbo (My mother\u2019s story).<\/p>\n The whereabouts of Chiyembekezo the garden boy, who impregnated Tadala, are not clearly known.<\/p>\n He is remembered towards the end of the movie because Tadala\u2019s housemaid, Patuma, was asking about him.<\/p>\n When asked if there is a \u2018Part 2\u2019 coming, Suya, who also starred in Shemu Joyah\u2019s award winning movies The Last Fishing Boat <\/em>and Seasons of a Life <\/em>said \u2018no\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThis film ends here. There is no Part 2. Very soon, I will embark on another project. I just need to have a breather and in two months, I should be able to start another project,\u201d Suya said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" African film has until recently been an industry monopolised by West African countries like Nigeria and Ghana and, of course, South Africa. But that doesn\u2019t mean other countries have no stories to tell. Perhaps, it was just a matter of time and for Malawi the moment is being defined by noble and steady strides which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25236"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25240,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25236\/revisions\/25240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}