WINDHOEK - Namibia’s renowned film director Tim Huebschle’s first feature film ‘#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm’ premieres in Windhoek on 10 October.
The film has been in the making for 12 years and only got off the ground last year. The 95- minute film is funded by the Namibian Film Commission (NFC), Norwegian Music Rights Association and also got support in kind.
After almost 20 years in the industry doing documentaries, music videos, short films, TV commercials as well as TV series, Huebschle is finally taking it up a notch to the big screen.
He informed Entertainment Now! that the film was made for Namibians by Namibians with the hope to make it a big hit on the cinema circuit.
“The big hope is that local audiences will come out and watch the movie in the cinemas. It’s important for us Namibian filmmakers to have audiences because that means we can make more movies, tell more stories. In turn, for the audiences, it means they get to see more content set in the locations that are familiar to them with characters they can relate to,” he explained.
The movie is set during a dry Namibian winter, where a tough female cop investigates a series of hateful murders, only to encounter a ruthless reporter who exposes dark secrets from her past to derail the case, and unravel her life. However, she is determined to catch the killer, even if it means breaking the law.
Huebschle recounted how, during his early days when he started in the film business, there were a few filmmakers around who were making documentaries and fictional content for television. Besides, equipment was not that easily accessible.
“As camera and editing technology became more readily available at a lower cost, more voices started speaking up and the film industry started growing. I mean, think of it, nowadays we have phones that can shoot videos. Back in the early 2000s, we were still using tapes. So, there’s definitely been quite a growth. Also, now you have a lot of content being made for YouTube or Facebook. So, a whole new generation of storytellers is out there - and it’s amazing,” he said.
Huebschle’s previous work includes ‘Faces of Africa: Nikhita’s Dancing Feet’, ‘Oom Land’, ‘Another Sunny Day’, ‘OLI’s Wilde Welt in Afrika’.
The ever-so-busy director is currently editing a short documentary for the CGTN Faces of Africa series, which follows township tour entrepreneur Heinrich Hafeni from Mondesa, Swakopmund, and the special brand of tourism he has created at the coast.
He implored movie enthusiasts to get behind local filmmakers and support them by filling all the seats in the cinema for future projects to be undertaken. ‘#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm’ will screen daily at Ster-Kinekor Grove and Maerua Mall from 10 to 20 October.
“Come and watch this Namibian story. If there’s enough local support, then more and more Namibian films can be made. Films are meant for audiences and ‘#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm’ is for the Namibian audiences,” he said.
Entertainment Now! also learnt that Huebschle tied the knot recently in a low-key event and would like to wish the newlyweds all the best in their union.