Cape Town - Multi-award winning film and theatre maker Sipho Nuse who is set to premiere his short film Inkaba at the Garry Marshall Theatre in California on Thursday says the opportunity is a dream come true.
Nuse, who hails from Nyanga East, is an active filmmaker with two short films which have been screened locally and internationally.
His debut film Jabu holds three awards - Best Film at the 1Minute International Film Festival, Cape Town 2018; Best Young Filmmaker at the 1Minute International Film Festival Sofia, Bulgaria 2019; and Best Action Drama Film at the Cotê d’Azur festival, France.
His latest short film Inkaba echoes the struggles of young people living in townships amidst violence and gangsterism.
“I grew up in a township that offered some challenging circumstances. In my everyday reality I saw the pain and despair of young people who were lured into a life of drugs and gangsterism. I wanted to changed that and this is what inspired me to make this film. I wanted to change that narrative,” he said.
He wrote and directed the short film in 2019 and just after post production Covid-19 hit, he couldn’t do anything with the film.
“A dear friend of mine from the US, Clinton H. Wallace who is also an executive producer of the film Inkaba and who has been working tirelessly marketing the film, finally made a call to tell me that the film has been selected to screen at the Caribbean Lens International Film and Arts Festival and that the organising directors love the work.”
The 25-year-old said representing South Africa in the US was a dream come true.
“I am happy to be representing South Africa in the US as we will be commemorating Youth Day in South Africa on this day. This is a testimony to young upcoming filmmakers that it is possible; just dare to dream and keep creating,” he said.
Wallace who has produced and executive produced numerous award-winning independent feature films said the screening will be a great exposure for Nuse.
“I am very excited about this opportunity for Sipho, this will be great exposure for him and the film in the Hollywood community. The screening is being sponsored by Hollywood Foreign Press Foundation and CaribbeanLens Film Festival in Burbank, CA, home to some of the biggest movie studios in the world and many movers and shakers in the entertainment industry will attend.”
Cape Times