Alex’s very own star releases a documentary
A young creative from Alex, aims to change the lives of the other young people in Alex and beyond.
Alex-born filmmaker and creative, Banele Mtebele is working on revamping the King’s Cinema in Alex to keep children out of mischief.
After being retrenched from Rhythm City, Mtebele decided to follow his dream of being a filmmaker, and the only place he could think of was the King’s Cinema as it had been his safe haven when growing up.
“Back in the day, King’s Cinema helped keep children off of the streets when Alex was more dangerous. We would stay from morning till noon watching bioscopes and that kept us out of many troubles,” Mtebele said.
Every month on the second and fourth Wednesday, Mtebele hosts film nights at the cinema, with free entry and complimentary popcorn. “I want to give this place a cinema feel, we are not there yet but I know we are going far with this place.”
Mtebele said his initiative was called the ‘colour blind film club’, because the films he showed have no colour, and the stories were universal. “It’s called a film club for a reason, I want to win people’s hearts before I win their wallets.
“There’s a favourite director of mine David Lynch who once said, ‘Our job as filmmakers is to change someone else’s life in two hours max,’ and I think this is where I am now, I only have an hour every time I screen the film to change someone else’s life.”
This year on his birthday May 25, Mtebele released his first documentary, which featured his father and was shown at the King’s Cinema upon its release.
“The documentary is about me having a conversation with my father, trying to find closure as I am not close to him. He did a lot of dreadful things to my mother when I was growing up, which led me to leave home at the age of 16.
“The documentary was the first time I was sitting with my father, having a meaningful conversation and I told him that I forgive him in front of the camera.
“The theme for that documentary is ‘black man you need to heal because you are on your own, and it answered a lot of questions for me. I then forgave my father for everything.”
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