AMAQHAWE- BLACK FEMALE FILMMAKERS

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“THE VOICE OF A BLACK WOMAN SHOULD

ALWAYS BE HERSELF" -MALEBO SEPHODI

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IN AWE OF BLACK GIRL MAGIC

F I L M M A K E R " G E N T L E M A G I C "

" I T R Y T O M A K E S U R E T H A T I A M N O T P A N D E R I N G T O T H E S A M E N A R R A T I V E , I A M A R T . "

- L E R A T O M B A N G E N I

FILMMAKER" U B U H L E "

" I W O U L D L I K E F O R B L A C K W O M E N T O B E G I V E N A N O P P O R T U N I T Y T O B E I N G W O M E N F I R S T . "

-MBALI MASHABA

F I L M M A K E R " I N K O N D L O "

" Its one thing to come to a certain country and tellsomeone else's story, and its another when you're fromthat country and telling that story yourself "

NOMGQIBELOTYUMRE

Q. WHO IS THE FIRST BLACK PUBLIC FEMALE FIGURE

THAT COMES TO MIND FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD?

A: MY FIRST BLACK FEMALE FIGURE IS MY LATE GRANDMOTHER LIZZY CLARA CELE, SHE HAS BEEN MY ANCHOR, MY GUIDANCE AND MY SUPPORTER ALTHOUGH SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS DOING IN MY CAREER. SHE THOUGHT I WAS A JOURNALIST AND SHE SUPPORTED ME EITHER WAY. SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG FIGURE IN MY LIFE. SHE RAISED ME, SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND AND SHE WOULD ALWAYS BRING EVERYONE TOGETHER EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT KNOW HOW. SHE WILL BE USED AS REFERENCE WHEN I HAVE KIDS ONE DAY. Q. WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT DID YOU RECEIVE THROUGH YOUR PROJECT? A: THE JOURNEY OF MY PROJECT WAS STRESSFUL FROM PRE-PRODUCTION TO POST PRODUCTION, BUT MY PARENTS SUPPORTED ME THROUGHOUT. MY DAD WOULD DROP ME OFF AT LOCATIONS AND MY MOM WOULD ALWAYS ASK HOW FAR I AM AND HOW THINGS WERE GOING WITH THE PROJECT. MY PARENTS BACKED ME UP WHEN FAMILY MEMBERS WERE AGAINST MY CRAFT AND THAT KIND OF SUPPORT TO ME IS AMAZING. I WOULD NOT TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING

MBALI MASHABA

Q.WHO IS THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE PUBLIC FIGURE FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD?

A: IT HAS TO BE LELETI KHUMALO; SHE ALSO PLAYED AS AN ACTRESS IN ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FILMS; YESTERDAY. SHE IS THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE TO EVER EMBODY WHAT IT IS TO BE A WOMAN IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND DIFFERENT TIMES APART FROM OUR EVERYDAY STORIES LIKE OUR GENERATIONS. LELETI RAN SO THAT A LOT OF BLACK WOMEN COULD WALK.

Q.THE KIND OF REPRESENTATION THAT YOU CREATE REVOLVES AROUND BLACK FEMALE BODIES,WHY WAS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOU FROM A CREATIVE POINT OF VIEW AND A PERSONAL ONE?

A: IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO CREATE CONTENT AROUND BLACK FEMALE BODIES BECAUSE I HAD NOT SEEN BLACK WOMEN ON SCREEN IN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND A LOT OF WOMEN ARE COMING TO THE FORE-FRONT IN NARRATIVES.WE HAVE LOCKDOWN WITH A MAJORITY OF FEMALE CAST AND BACK IN THE DAYS WE HAD, SOCIETY. THIS GIVES ME A SENSE OF I AM BEING SEEN AND I SEE MYSELF IN THESE CHARACTERS AND IT’S A FEELING THAT I DON’T THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE GET ACCESS TO, BECAUSE THERE IS OVER SATURATION OF A TYPE OF REPRESENTATION AND I DON’T THINK WE SEE A LOT OF WOMEN IN VERSATILE ROLES. TO ME IT HAS BEEN A KIND OF OBLIGATION IN MY WORK TO TRY AND REPRESENT DIFFERENT TYPES OF WOMEN.

Q.WHO IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE FEMALE DIRECTOR AND WHY DO YOU LOVE THEIR WORK?

A: ISSA RAE CHANGED THE GAME, THE PATRIARCHIES ARE SHAKING (LAUGHS). FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME WE WERE ABLE TO SEE FACETS OF OURSELVES THAT WERE NOT SO POLITICISED AND THAT IS THE REASON WE LOVED IT . THIS QUESTION BREAKS MY HEART BECAUSE I CAN’T THINK OF MANY FEMALE DIRECTORS EVEN WITHIN THIS COUNTRY.

Q: BLACK FEMALE REPRESENTATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN CREATED TO MAKE SOME SORT OF COMMENTARY ABOUT WOMEN FOR THE LONGEST TIME BE IT CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS AND WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE DONE?

A: THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL, I FEEL LIKE YOU CAN’T SEPARATE THE TWO. OUR HAIR HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL, OUR LITERAL BODY, AND SKIN. NOT RACIALLY OR BLACK WHITE BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF COLOURISM. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS LITTLE CONTAINER THAT WE HAVE THAT IS OUR BODY WILL ALWAYS BE POLITICISED. WHAT I THINK NEEDS TO CHANGE IS PEOPLE THINKING THAT BLACK WOMEN ARE CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT. WHAT I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO DO AS WOMEN IS TO BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE A WOMAN FIRST AND BE REPRESENTED AS SUCH.

LERATO MBANGENI

Q.The kind of representation that you create revolves around the black female body, why is this important to from a creative point view and a personal view?

A: The kind of representation that I create is around my black female body and the experiences of it and the shared experiences with the people who have similar experiences in life. As a creative I draw my work, thoughts and ideas from my personal lived experiences and also from the people around me who are black women most of time. It was important for me to create those stories or tell those stories because they are my stories. So I am telling those stories myself.

Q. Now that there are more platforms for the people of colour do you believe that they are enough, and what are your contributions on that?

A: Most of the information received growing up was not black created, so now I feel really happy because I consume so much content that comes from black people from the movies that I watch, the music that I listen to, the books i am reading as well as the visuals I am seeing.There is always room for more and the alternative. I have creative HD, where I can’t focus on one creative channel or one creative stream so I

don’t consider it as a contribution to the body of work that blackpeople are putting out there but I definitely know that as a blackwomen I am doing my part as to representing myself.

Q.What kind of work do you want to produce? A: Producing more work that is not grounded to activism, political documentary space.I am ready to produce work just to be, to work on something weird , beautiful , funny because we do not have one way of narrative or one space of creating and being able to open that space as a black female creative. Our films and stories do not have to fall into one space or narrative.