‘Coming 2 America’s’ Nomzamo Mbatha Set for South African Drama ‘Shaka Ilembe’ – Global Bulletin

K.J. Yossman
·3 min read

CASTING

Nomzamo Mbatha (“Coming 2 America”) is set to star in period drama “Shaka Ilembe” about the iconic African king. The series is set in 1700s and will also star Lemogang Tsipa and newcomer Ntando Zondi, who will both play Shaka at different ages, Thembinkosi Mthembu as King Dingiswayo and Senzo Radebe as King Senzangakhona.

Mbatha, who will play Queen Nandi, Shaka’s mother, will also executive produce. “I am honoured to bring the giant that is Queen Nandi to life,” she said. “History will remember those who informed its people of where we come from, to better understand who we are. I am fortunate to be part of a project that is much bigger than ourselves and to tell this story in our own language. Impi iyeza!”

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The series comes from MultiChoice and Bomb Productions.

SCREEN SUMMIT

Wales is set to host an inaugural screen summit showcasing the film and TV production industry in Wales. The summit will include a number of panels featuring commissioners, directors and producers. Radio and television host Jason Mohammad will front the day and a half-long event, which takes place at The Parkgate Hotel on June 15 and 16.

Confirmed speakers include BBC director of nations Rhodri Talfan Davies; chief content officer for Channel 4, Ian Katz; chief executive of S4C and Sian Doyle as well as producer Owen Phillips (“Murder in The Valleys”), Bad Wolf’s Kate Crowther (“His Dark Materials”) and Tammy Kennedy, co-founder and creative director of Little Bird Films.

AWARDS

Nawazuddin Siddiqui (“Manto”) was the recipient of an industry excellence award at the French Riviera Film Festival while actor and director Jerzy Skolimowski (“EO”) received a lifetime achievement award.

Directors Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson (“On My Mind”) were honoured with an industry excellent award and Cansel Elçin (“Down From The Clouds”) and Arianna Veronesi (“Glaistig”) were recognized for their acting.
 
Vincent De Paul was on hand to present Siddiqui with his award. The ceremony took place at the Eden Hotel and Spa in Cannes.

The French Riviera Film Festival was launched in 2019. It celebrates short-form film, television and digital content.

COMPETITION

Sheffield DocFest 2022 has unveiled nine entries for its international competition. One winner, who will be selected from the finalists to be crowned best film, will be announced on the last day of the festival, which runs from June 23-28 in Sheffield, U.K.

Of the nine finalists, 5 are world premieres and 4 are international premiers, with countries from around the world represented in the line-up, including Ukraine, U.S.A., Australia and Lebanon, among others.

Sheffield DocFest’s head of film programmes Raul Niño Zambrano, who led the selection, said: “These nine powerful films reflect the wide range of documentary filmmaking. They are distinctive in their approach and style and invite us to reconnect with the world in new ways. Each of these films invites audiences to engage with them; to be inspired and even challenged by the stories they tell.”

The nine selected in International Competition are:

“After the End of the World” – Lebanon – 2022 – Nadim Mishlawi
“A Bunch of Amateurs” – UK – 2022 – Margareta Szabo, Kim Hopkins
“Man on Earth” – Australia – 2022 – Amiel Courtin-Wilson
“The Melt Goes On Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons” – USA – 2022 – Harold Crooks, Judd Tully
“My Name is Andrea” – USA – 2022 – Pratibha Parmar
“One Day in Ukraine” – Ukraine, Poland – 2022 – Volodymyr Tykhyy
“Sansón and Me” – Mexico, USA – 2022 – Rodrigo Reyes
“Singing on the Rooftops” – Spain – 2021 – Enric Ribes
“Swing and Sway” – Brazil – 2022 – Fernanda Pessoa, Chica Barbosa

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