Red carpet affair at the Voices of Faith premiere in Diepsloot

The premiere of the movie, Voices of Faith, which was shot and produced in Diepsloot, was screened at Sacred Heart Catholic Church which is situated in the township, on 20 July.

“The reason why we are viewing it here instead of your normal movie theatre is because the company that came up with the storyline of this movie wanted to make it more accessible to people, as well as allowing them opportunities to generate income and gain work experience,” said Nokwanda Shabangu of community organisation, Wot-If? Trust.

“A township crew and cast were used in this movie.”

The movie was produced by Straight2! Productions and was written by Antony Ehlers and directed by Alan Farber. “The church was used as a location in the movie, all of which was shot in Diepsloot, and is the ideal venue to showcase this special film,” said producer Chris Avant Smith.

The film is centred around coming to terms with one’s own demons and finding the faith to be able to deal with them. In the movie, the lead character Gloria, played by gospel star, Boshadi Nkomo, loses her voice while doing a live recording of her TV show. “She is then seen leaving the high life and the gossip of the tabloids and escapes back to the comfort and security of her sister who lives in Soweto,” added Smith.

“Her sister Eunice, played by Regina Dube, hadn’t seen Gloria in a long time and seems to put up with her sister’s presence as opposed to embracing it. It is obvious there is an underlying anger towards her younger sister [Gloria]. Eunice’s daughter, Thandi played by Sani Dlamini, by contrast, is very excited to have her aunt back in the fold.”

Thandi is one of the stars of the local youth gospel choir. “The choir is in full swing, practising for a major choral competition. Their coach without much warning leaves the choir in the lurch as she attends to some personal issues. The pastor, played by David Matamela, decides to take a chance and he convinces Gloria, against her own fears, to take over while the choir mistress is on leave.”

Through training the choir, Gloria comes to terms with her past failures and the familial guilt that has plagued her.

“She does this by helping the choir find their own voice, and by helping her sister [unwitting as it may be] find her voice to be able to vocalise the past hurts her sister [Gloria] put her through.”

One of the actors in the movie, Sipho Mding said he was grateful to be a part of such a movie in Diepsloot and wished more initiatives such as this would be introduced in the township.

Filler: What other activities can be introduced to the Diepsloot community? Share your views on the Fourways Review Facebook page