Film director and scriptwriter, Leon Mubiana, will be screening six of his short films publicly next Friday at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC).
This is after he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in screenwriting and directing at the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, known as AFDA in Cape Town last year. There he also screened two of his short films, Canvas and Chasm at the AFDA Experimental and Graduation Film Festival.
Leon says each film is different and deals with either a certain topic or a specific genre. “I am mostly attracted to genres such as thrillers and dramas, and thus each film explores a certain premise but encapsulated in one or both of the genres,” he explains. Featuring next Friday include Inonge, a film that explores the idea of an apology letter but as a film. That was a long time ago, looks at the hardship of moving into a new relationship, while suffering the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of a previous abusive relationship.
Leon will also screen other films such as Sold Out, a short story on betrayal, whereby a young lady finds herself mixed up with the wrong kind of people and attempts to do the right thing. Canvas is a special project dedicated to the memory of his father with one of his father’s songs portrayed on screen. Control portrays a mastermind criminal who misleads the cop to clear his name. The last film that will be screening is Chasm, which explores the idea of a police detective who unknowingly has a serial killer alter ego and to discover this he must venture into his subconscious.
All his films are produced under AFDA in South Africa between 2016 and 2017. With screening these films to locals, Leon says he would like to create a moment for his friends, family, film lovers who could not make it to Cape Town, to view them. He also wanted to show what he has been up to for the past four years in terms of learning and improving his capabilities as a storyteller.
His achievements in the film industry so far are a nomination for best screenplay at the Namibian Theatre and Films Awards in 2016.
In 2016, he assisted the New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC) with social media and television commercials. “The real achievement for me is having actually gone through the process of producing a product and watching it as it evokes emotional responses from the viewer and so far there are six projects that I am very keen in seeing what the viewers make of them.”
Leon’s focus from now on as a filmmaker is on short films with a Namibian relevance in terms of performance and aesthetics. “The narratives will continue to look at situations and have a unique perspective and twist.”
Some of his works can be viewed on You Tube under the name Leon Mubiana. Tickets for the event are N$ 100, and the event starts at seven o’clock (19h00) in the evening.