* People will be expected pay about K1,000 and to watch online platform as much as they like
* Malawi has few theatres specifically meant for cinema such that it’s expensive to premier a 14-minute film
By Milcah Time Mathias, MANA
Malawi’s celebrated film producer and director, Charles Shemu Joyah, is set to to premiere a 14-minutes short film on iPlus Play tomorrow, November 9 — a story about Rev. John Chilembwe titled ‘Strike a Blow and Die’.
The multi-award winning through; ‘Seasons of a Life’, ‘The Last Fishing Boat’ and ‘Road to Sunrise’, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) that he decided to use the iPlus Play online platform where people will be expected pay about K1,000 and “watch as much as they like”.
“That is a better way at the moment but when we are going to produce another film for 1 hour or 2 hours, we will justify going to the theatre,” said Joyah, adding that Malawi has few theatres specifically meant for cinema such that it’s expensive to premier a 14-minute film.
‘Strike a Blow and Die’, produced together with another great film director, Gift Sukez Sukali, was nominated in the Best Short Film category at the Africa Movie Academy Awards, AMAA 2024.
It features Brian Chalamanda as young John Chilembwe, Abdul Latif Sani as young Morrison Chimpele, Valentino Molosen as soldier, Ed Phillips as Captain Schlater and Robert Loughlin as Alfred Sharpe.
“In 2007, I started researching on how to produce a film on John Chilembwe,” explained Joyah. “I started writing proposals to people who could fund me on this project, but there was no funding.
“However, l knew that these people might not have a picture of what the movie will be like. This also happens even in America or Britain when one has an idea but doesn’t have funds, one just produces some scenes for people to appreciate of what one is talking about.”
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Joyah said an idea for a short film came so that people should appreciate that he also has the ability to do something bigger that this, adding that this will not be the end of the story.
“This is just a promo that will help us to raise funds to produce a full movie and be able to use it on a big market,” he added.
He, therefore, called on Malawians to see John Chilembwe as a hero and liberator who stood strong against colonial oppression and exploitation, saying he was also an advocator for hard working spirit as opposed to over dependence on external support.
Shemuh Joyah (left)
“I think the film industry in Malawi can help a lot in the development aspect,” he said. “I was in Nigeria last week, and you will be surprised that the film industry in Nigeria is the second largest employer after government.
“So, if we are going to improve our film industry and encourage creativity, we can train our young graduates who can even create films and upload them on YouTube and generate money in an era where content creation is important.”
The film, is a historical story of Malawi and Africa as a whole and Joyah said John Chilembwe, who is on the Malawi currency, was an exceptional person who was courageous enough to fight against oppression in Malawi and Africa.
He observed that the hero John Chilembwe is not given enough credit such that people have very little understanding of his life and achievements, saying there is also a lot of ignorance to his life story to the extent that some say his uprising against the British colonial rule was a bad call for the development of Malawi.
“I think when we are just looking at the narrow part of John Chilembwe’s story, we are being unfair to his legacy. He helped a lot of Malawians through his development works.
“As most Malawians lack a culture of reading, then visuals would help people understand him better — this is why I felt that producing this film would help people understand better about life of Chilembwe.”
He emphasised that ‘Strike a Blow and Die’ is a burning story that will educate, entertain and inform Malawians and movie lovers of the better part of John Chilembwe.
Renowned writer and social media influencer, Stanley Onjezani Kenani commented on his Facebook page that John Chilembwe is about to come alive on the screen.
“There are a few times in my life I have met someone as determined and focused as Charles Shemu Joyah. Twenty years ago, whenever he gave me a lift from Lilongwe to Blantyre, we would spend almost the entire journey talking about his dream to shoot a John Chilembwe movie
“He employed a young graduate to undertake comprehensive research on the martyr, from the year of his birth to the day he was martyred for standing up for what is right,” Kenani said.—Edited by Maravi Express
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Thank you so much