Ndapunikwa Films continues to celebrate the numerous accolades for Namibia’s Best Narrative Film awardee ‘Hairareb’, which has been nominated for Best Feature Film at the 9th Sotambe International Film Festival in Zambia.
The event falls under the Sotambe Film Institute (SFI), a Zambian institution established in 2014, with a focus on supporting the film industry in Zambia and the southern African region. This year’s event will be hosted at various locations in Lusaka from 17 to 24 September. Activities taking place include movie screenings, press briefings, master classes, networking cocktails, workshops and art exhibitions. ‘Hairareb’ has already achieved a number of continental accolades, including capturing the coveted Best Movie Southern Africa at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award Ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria this year. The film was nominated for Best Feature Narrative at the 30th Annual Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) in Los Angeles, and has received the Best Narrative Film, Best Director and the Best Male Actor Award for the late veteran actor David Ndjavera at the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards.
‘Hairareb’ has garnered international acclaim, featuring in numerous prestigious international film festivals as an official selection, including the European Film Festival and the Durban International Film Festival.
The film is a two-time Official 2021 Dikalo Award Winner, receiving a Best Actress Award for Hazel Hinda, and a Special Mention from the Jury for Feature Length Fiction at the ‘Festival International du Film PanAfricain de Cannes’. The film had the distinct honour of opening the festival on the evening of 19 October 2021 at the Espace Miramar in Cannes, France. Hinda also collected a second award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ‘Hairareb’ at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards in Lagos, Nigeria, where the film was nominated in seven categories. The film has been showcased to Namibian audiences, premiering at Ster-Kinekor Maerua and Ster-Kinekor The Grove Mall in Windhoek, Atlanta Cinema in Swakopmund, and on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation channels.
Hairareb is based on a book by August C. Bikeur. It was previously performed as a radio play in the Damara/Nama language, and later developed into a script by Aina Ligola Kwedhi. Funded by the Namibia Film Commission, the film is executive-produced by Dantagos Jimmy-Melani, with Ellen Ernst as producer, and directed by Oshoveli Shipoh.
The film stars the late Ndjavera, Hinda, Claudine de Groot and Maximilian Kadeen Kaoseb. A tribute to Namibian cinematography and storytelling, the tale is told through the eyes of one of Namibia’s oldest and most deeply-rooted tribes, capturing love during a time of devastating drought, and hence a fitting representation of Namibian cinema for both local and international audiences.