Chirisa takes Zim story to Hollywood

By Andrew Moyo

Zimbabwe’s export to Hollywood, Tongayi Arnold Chirisa, has urged local filmmakers to perfect the art of scriptwriting and tell this country’s stories to the world.

Chirisa – who is co-producing, acting and is the script advisor on a Hollywood movie titled “The Zim”, a story about Zimbabwe’s land re-distribution programme – says there is a market for Zimbabwean stories in Hollywood, but scriptwriters are not producing the stories or even using him to find out how he can help.

He was in the country for a “Vault Cosmetics Meet and Greet” campaign last Friday, and was expected to leave yesterday for South Africa.

“If we don’t have the money to make films, let’s at least write the scripts that tell our story so that when Hollywood or people with money come looking for them we will be ready,” pleaded Chirisa in an interview with The Sunday Mail Leisure.

“That way we have an industry whereby we have people who are coming in to film their movies using our locations, which will then lead it to being a hub like it used to. It is a sad scenario whereby people are actually interested in telling our stories when we can actually do it ourselves and this usually leads to the production of biased scripts.

“We should have stories that are market-ready, scripts that are universal, which can generate interest from investors; otherwise we will have people who are going to make millions by telling our stories like what they did in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.”

Chirisa said he envisioned linking local script writers with Hollywood producers interested in fresh ideas.

“People should write stories about the Chimurenga struggle, mythical stories about Nyaminyami or the supernatural so that when I am making connections in Hollywood and there are producers that side looking for such stories, we will be ready.”

There are many international movies being reproduced with similar themes, a sign he said that the global film industry was hungry for new stories.

“We can chronicle most of our history like what South Africa has been doing with Mandela movies, apartheid and so on because we have so many stories to tell.”

In South Africa, Bollywood and Hollywood, there are specific organisations that have money to promote movie production, another area Chirisa said needed to be looked at.

“I know we have bodies that cater for the arts, for example, Culture Fund and National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, but taking on movies is a big initiative which involves a lot of money, the more reason why there needs to be organisations that are set up specifically for bankrolling movies.

“With the institutions that we have I believe the best thing they can do is to bring in expect script writers for certain workshops so that we get our stories up to a point where there are able to be sold to anyone in the world.”

Based on the quality of music videos that are being produced locally, Chirisa is of the view that the film industry could also follow suit.

“Looking at the quality of music videos being made, it is an indication that film is following real soon. It’s just a matter of time before the guys who are making these videos also start venturing into commercials and film.”

Chirisa is the lead actor in the under production “Happiness is a Four Letter Word” in South Africa.

He will be acting alongside Mmabatho Montsho, who has starred in “Generations”, “Rhythm City” and “Jacob’s Cross”. Geil Person and Helena Spring are producing the film, after having also produced “Mr Bones 2”, the movie credited with catapulting Chirisa to international stardom.

He is riding high with his role in the Hollywood comedy show “The Jim Gaffigan Show” where he stars alongside Jim Gaffigan, Ashley Williams and Adam Goldberg, with cameo roles by the likes of Chris Rock and Dave Attel.

Chirisa said local film standards were below par but there was potential for unimaginable growth.

“The local film industry has a few bright spots and there are individuals who are trying to push it to the next level but if I was to look at it on an overall scale I would say it is still below par,” said Chirisa.

Chirisa attributed the success of films of the 1990s to firm structures.

“During the period when films like “Neria” were made, the money was there, the infrastructure was there and these guys were also under the tutelage of professional directors, for example the late (Godwin) Mawuru who had studied film in Europe.

“Back then Zimbabwe was the movie hub of Southern Africa so we had all these big movie productions coming here, the crew was being trained on the job, which is why they would understand how to rig a light, which ones are the key lights you know, the setup, the breakdown of fundamentals that would give the quality of the film that impetus to be an Oscar-worthy movie.

“I think the last great movie that came from Zimbabwe was ‘Yellow Card’, that is when the industry sort of took a nose dive and since then we have been in a comma.”

He applauded ZBC’s pending increase in television channels, saying: “There is need for the resurgence of the broadcasting industry and I am glad that the local broadcaster is going to be opening more channels, which is great because this will encourage more competition, which will then drive filmmakers to come up with quality productions.

“If we have more channels it is a massive move in the right direction because this will provide employment for our actors and in the end more companies will open up to give the industry more vibrancy.”

Chirisa entered the acting scene with his role on local soapie “Studio 263” before appearing on other productions including an award-winning role in the movie “Tanyaradzwa”. The Sunday Mail