Local film producer bags finalist spot in UK contest
The short film, a horror of close to three minutes, was one of 1 700 entries for the Lockdown Film Fest.
POLOKWANE – Lazarus Thema’s short horror film, ‘Lockdown went wrong’ took a right turn to the Lockdown Film Fest, as it landed a spot in the top 33. The festival is hosted by Britflicks, a company based in the United Kingdom.
Thema, a talented 23-year-old film producer and editor among the other hats he wears, is the founder of Talent Hunter Productions. His film was one of 1 700 films submitted from across the globe, which was launched on Britflicks Youtube on 24 May, and he made it to the top 33. Now the young man from Makotopong stands a chance to win.
The film took him three hours to shoot and tells the story of a young man who goes for a run, but soon realises that he is not alone when he tries to take a selfie. The winning film will be announced on 31 May and it will be uploaded onto the Britflicks Lockdown Film Fest website, as well as their social media platforms.
Thema explained that he came across the competition on Facebook. “I saw the Britflicks Lockdown Film Fest post on FilmFreeway’s page where I had to send a video to stand a chance to win. I decided to create a silent short horror film because it’s difficult content to produce,” he explained.
The requirement was that the film’s production must have started no earlier than 22 March, that it must have English subtitles if it’s in another language and that it has to be less than three minutes long.
He advises local film makers to take advantage of websites like FilmFreeway where they can submit their films to various film festivals. “You don’t need expensive equipment to produce good content, use the little that you have and make the best of it,” he said.
Watch ‘Lockdown went wrong’:
