Emilie Shimbali
Award-winning producer Dantagos Jimmy-Melani and her entire team of ‘Hairareb’ are overjoyed by the win the film scooped in the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards in Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday.
‘Hairareb’ won the ‘Best Film Southern Africa’ award.
“I could not be more honoured. Our entire team is elated by this recognition from the African continent. It really demonstrates the transferability of Namibian stories to diverse audiences,” she told VIBEZ!
This win is another great milestone for the cast and crew, who have been raking in awards since 2019.
It has scooped over 26 international accolades, and continues to make waves in various countries through screen time and nominations in different categories.
Shortly before the announcement, VIBEZ! spoke to a few cast members on their Hairareb experience and the way forward for the local film industry.
For first-time actor Willem Moller (56), it was a baptism of fire, and he admitted that he was totally overwhelmed by his role.
“ I totally forgot my words (lines), and we had to redo it five times. It was very embarrassing,” he narrated of his role as drunken father Aulgulh¯ob.
Moller credits his daughter for encouraging him to audition for the role, and while still new to the industry, he suggests that more money be pumped into filmmaking.
He said the awards the film and some of its actors keep bringing home are huge achievements for the local film industry.
Lead actress Claundine de Groot, who plays the role of Ininis, Hairareb’s bride, alongside the late David Ndjavera as Hairareb, said it is an honour to have been part of the film.
She told VIBEZ! a few weeks ago that the awards the film and some of the actors are winning are a huge achievement for the film industry of Namibia.
On her prominent role, De Groot said: “I am very proud of myself and shocked by my performance in the movie, and that for a first-timer”.
She said Namibians have incredible and immense talents, and astonishing landscapes ready for the world.
Bianca Daniella Heyns, who plays the role of Nurse Yvonne, feels the film industry needs a bigger budget as there are stories and more talent to make international award-winning movies because “yes, we are good”.
‘Hairareb’ follows a flashback storyline where a boy finds a diary in the past and begins to read it, revealing the life of his father and his hidden truths.
‘Hairareb’ (Ndjavera), a wealthy farmer fighting hard to stay afloat in the terrible drought, marries a young attractive beautiful lady Ininis (De Groot) with hidden motives. When he marries her, he struggles to talk to her independently. The relationship between them slowly starts to break up due to their personality differences.
The film is based on a book by August C. Bikeur, previously performed as a radio play in the Damara/Nama language, and later developed into a script by Aina Ligola Kwedhi.