Paheja Siririka
WINDHOEK – A great friend of Oshosheni Hiveluah, fellow filmmaker and director Tim Huebschle described the late Hiveluah as his confidant. “I haven’t only lost a filmmaker, I lost a friend. Just recently, six weeks ago, she was at my wedding and she was fine-we had a good time,” Huebschle told Entertainment Now! as he tries to come to terms with her passing.
What’s more agonising to Huebschle is that his friend’s passing did not make the premiere of his first feature film #LANDoftheBRAVEfilm a little bitter sweet. “But then again I looked at it in a way as her blessings because she was in a way involved in the film,” explained Huebschle.
He said Hiveluah was a great casting agent. “She had a keen eye for talent, especially when it comes to putting faces to roles in plays. In a nutshell, it’s a great loss, her spirit doesn’t die, and the honours is on us to keep her memory alive,” said Huebschle.
Huebschle said Hiveluah’s demise is a grave loss. His relationship with death is slightly a different one. He believes, in essence, they have now gained a beautiful guardian angel or custodian for the film industry who is looking over them from the heavens making sure that they keep the creative energy flowing which is something she always preached through her work.
They officially started working together in 2007 but knew of each other, as they were schoolmates at Deutsche Höhere Privatschule (DHPS). “I had a nickname for her and used to call her Lombweleni. We worked together on a short film called Beef she had written, since then, that cemented a little bit of our relationship. After that, we drank coffee, spoke a lot of nonsense and dreamt of making bigger movies,” he said.
Her sister Nangula Hiveluah said she will remember her sibling, also referred to as Oshi as the warm and caring being. “Oshi was humble, passionate about her art, friendly, determined, she was very determined to succeed and excel in all she does. When being with her, she was always a warm person, and a joker,” Nangula told Entertainment Now!
Gideon Kamati, a producer at the Namibian Film Commission admitted Hiveluah was brilliant at what she did. “I acknowledge that she is a pioneer of modern film and arts in the country that led to the professional set up that we see right now, she was one dedicated artist who was always there when needed, throughout the different phases of the industry,” stated Kamati.
Kamati said he has worked with Hiveluah on numerous projects and highlighted that she contributed a lot to the industry. “She was an all-rounder, great at directing as she was in charge of projects such as 100 Bucks,” reminisced Kamati.
He told Entertainment Now! the late Hiveluah also served executive producing roles on short films assigned by the commission. “She also coordinated an eco-kids film project. We worked with schools around the country, calling kids to submit short films through motion pictures,” he said.
Kamati said she was in charge of those projects and made sure they ran smoothly. “She was on the committee that looked at projects that benefitted the industry and one thing that I will always remember her for is availing herself without any monetary requests,” stated Kamati.
He further said Hiveluah was a selfless human being. Kind-hearted, committed, always there and offered assistance because of the passion she had for the art.
She was encouraged by her desire to tell stories and give back to the film industry, a responsibility she honoured until her last days as she served as a film jury member for the recently held Namibian Theatre and Film Awards.
Her production Tjitji – The Himba Girl won Best Narrative Film and Best Cinematography at the 2014 Namibia Film and Theatre Awards.