Local film, Oom Land, directed by local director and scriptwriter, Tim Huebschle has been nominated for ‘Don’t Stop Wondering’ award at the upcoming seventh Jozi Film Festival after reaching the ten finalists among all entries received from across Africa.
Oom Land is set about 50 years ago at the Volkswinkel - the People’s Shop - in Rehoboth. The man behind the success story is Oom Land, and through this film one will get to meet him. “It’s an incredible honour to be part of the Top 10 for a second year. Much like Oom Land himself, I believe you just have to keep moving, no matter what tomorrow may bring. When the tireless push forward is recognised, it recharges my batteries and prepares me for more cinematic adventures to come,” says Huebschle.
Each selected film will be broadcast on Discovery Channel and it will be up to viewers to decide which film should be chosen as the overall winner. The winning film will be announced at the Jozi Film Festival in September and the filmmaker will win a Canon XF-405 video camera with Singer Photographic camera accessories worth about N$77 000 [over U$5 800] to use for their next filming project. “When we brought the Discovery Channel ‘Don’t Stop Wondering’ award with the Jozi Film Festival back for a second year in February, we wanted to find films which captured the ethos of curiosity and celebrated the uniqueness that the African continent has to offer. With a shortlist that includes films from Namibia, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, we are confident that the top ten once again represents this, and we look forward to broadcasting each film on Discovery Channel, and showcasing the many different ways these filmmakers celebrate Africa and the art of storytelling,” says Amanda Turnbull, VP & general manager for Discovery Networks Middle East and Africa.
“The wealth of unique stories and creative subject matter our continent has to offer never fails to impress us here at the Jozi Film Festival, and we are delighted that through our partnership with Discovery Channel, we can once again provide African filmmakers the platform to showcase their creative storytelling to a wider audience. We hope the public gets behind the Top 10 by voting for their favourite film and acknowledging the fantastic filmmaking talent we have across Africa,” said Lisa Henry, founder and organiser of the Jozi Film Festival. Huebschle was born in Germany and raised in Namibia. He started making independent short films in 2000 while interning at production companies in Berlin.
In 2003 he returned to his home country Namibia, where he handled the production of a documentary television series for the national broadcaster. A wide range of short films, TV commercials and music videos ensued which garnered local and international acclaim at a few film festivals and award ceremonies.