After producing 10 films and trying to break into the film industry, a local director, Conride Chiloane, had a movie aired on national TV on June 9.
The Mad Man and the Kid was broadcasted on SABC 1. This was a memorable moment for the people of Bushbuckridge.
According to Chiloane, this was the first film produced and filmed by Ego Visuals Bush in the dusty villages of Bushbuckridge and Acornhoek, with local actors speaking in local languages, Sepulana and Tsonga, who made it to TV. He said the aim was to raise awareness of gender-based violence and human trafficking in the province.
The short film is about a man who decides that he has had enough of life and the challenges in his village, and decides to start a new life in the bush. While there, the man meets a little girl who ran away from home due the abuse she was facing at the hands of her uncle. He welcomes her and plays the role of a father to her. They live together until she is kidnapped.
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According to Chiloane, the airing of the film by the national broadcaster was a win for everyone from his village. “I made sure all the actors were local so that we all benefit from this. They all needed a chance to showcase their talents and to make something good out of their craft. The other movies that we produced were placed on YouTube, but this one made a mark, because it aired on TV.”
He said through this production, they managed to get young people in the village off the streets. “We wanted to make a difference in our community, and we knew having something like this would keep young people busy.”
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Chiloane said he got his big break after the short film won first place during a film festival in Barberton. “Last year, we competed against about nine films, and we outshone them. After that competition, Elangeni Generations Outreach, Pan African Resources and Barberton Mines assisted us to reach where we are today.”
Chiloane said his dream is to see more movie productions from his village being broadcast on TV.
