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uMalusi is an introspective riches to rags drama about a spoilt brat, Malusi Mati (Sivu Nobongoza) who has to learn life's lessons the hard way. Having spent most of his life living in the sleepy coastal city of East London (South Africa) life up to this point has been a breeze for the flamboyant young man.
Malusi is as selfish as they come, he is the center of his perverse universe and no one else matter.
The tide turns for our anti-hero when after a night of decadence he sleeps with Pearl, the eighteen Year old sister of his best mate. The night ends in tragedy when Pearl dies seemingly from A drug overdose. The extremely malevolent and coked-up Malusi leaves her on the side of the road and runs.
Leaving the comfort of his cocooned life he heads for the only place he can hide, Mdanstane township.
A completely alien environment for this private school graduate, Malusi is about to learn some vital lessons about life…
The film's depiction of youthful angst is edgy and stupendously gritty.
In order to carry the stories' multi-layered narrative structure, the film uses three separate tonal grades representing the lead character's converging yet highly contrasting worlds.
From a cold, desolate prison cell, Malusi recounts his tale of woe.
This universe is depicted using a two tone cold grade. It's cold, harsh and somewhat surreal depiction is a vivid depiction of MALUSI' state of mind.
The transition to a state of maturity is oft underpinned by a sense of benign benevolence.
The film is a vivid yet almost surreal journeyman adventure through the mind and heart of a wayward, complex and uprooted youth. The journeyman theme gives the viewer the opportunity to join and witness the character's metamorphosis from an uninspired, spoilt brat, to a young man who's priorities shift towards unrelenting benevolence.
The lead character's journey has 'Alice in Wonderland' undertones. After leaving his comfortable
existence, MALUSI journeys into Mdantsane township, a sprawling, densely populated black slum.
The worlds are highly contrasting, fusing into a vivid metaphor of South Africa's complex socio-economic terrain.
"...our children are the way they are, because of us!"
uMalusi depicts every parent's nightmare. The day their child does something (GOD Forbid!) that has far reaching consequences and they can do little to save them. Textile magnate, Lester Mati (Lucas Sithole) finds himself having to clean up after his spoilt brat son, when a dead girl turns up and his boy is implicated.
Whilst contending with a distraught and wailing wife (Dadawele Nzo), he finds himself having to make some fundamental decisions about his wayward son.
Younger sibling, Pumeza (Nqabomzi Matyeshana) watches on as her 'attention seeking' older brother' continues to grab her parent's focus.
SEX, LIES and VIDEOTAPE!
Shot mostly on consumer miniDV tape, uMalusi' depiction of it's central character' experiences is graphic and vivid. The format gives the scenes an almost documentary type voyeurism and appeal.
This pushes the film's communication towards a gritty sense of realism.
WRITER-DIRECTOR MLANDU SIKWEBU
He is am the owner/director of Lamla Pictures and Advertising; an Eastern Cape based production and printing company.
Born and raised in East London (S.A), Sikwebu matriculated in 1998 at Woodridge College in Port Elizabeth.
For him, it was a proud time where he was able to enjoy the privileges of being a prefect, playing 1st team rugby and tennis and passing with an exemption.
He then left for Johannesburg to study an IT degree with Midrand University.
After 3 years of fun and freedom away from home and strict domestic rules, he was forced to return back to the Eastern Cape to continue his studies through Damelin College and obtained a Marketing and IT diploma a year later.
He then switched gears and ventured into the world of employment, the following year, working for Sun Couriers for a few months and resigned, then worked at Damelin for half a year and resigned.
He then worked at a printing company called Gem Print as a cost estimator and Sales Rep and endured the stressful life of driving aimlessly all over the Eastern Cape, looking for non-existent clients and chasing ridiculous sales targets, for 3 years.
During this time he had begun writing a film called uMalusi.
"I had absolutely no idea how I would convert it from paper to screen; all I knew was that I had a story to tell. I called up an old buddy of mine, Xolani Qubeka, to assist me with my dream. He had worked for a production company in Rosebank for 8 years at the time. I wondered whether he could organize a few cameras and an edit suite.As luck would have it, he was able to."
"As I write this, the no budget film uMalusi, will be screened at all digital cinemas through Sterkinekor in July. It is an extremely exciting achievement; one that I owe to many members of the cast and crew. "
Sikwebu has since resigned from Gemprint to open his own production company -Lamla Pictures and Advertising. It is still very young and small, but through the power of prayer, I'm hoping to do big things with it.
"At heart my passion lies with story telling."
Maria's Child started out as a script for his next film.
"I decided to covert it into a book for 2 reasons: I thought it was a story that needed to be told thoroughly. The subject matter at hand is important and relates well with what is happening today in society. Films tend to drift into the element of entertainment more than the subject matter. Making a good quality film requires many resources: money, time, man power, energy etc.. I wanted to unleash Maria's child immediately."
"Maria's Child is the first project that I've had an opportunity to showcase my talent as an individual, excluding the help from my editor. I'm really proud of the book and hope it will find its way to your hearts."
JAHMIL X.T. QUBEKA -FILMMAKER
Jahmil has directed numerous television programmes and documentaries for renowned production houses such as Ochre Media and Urban Brew Studios. Some of his documentary work has enjoyed screenings at various international film festivals including the New York African Film
Festival, Los Angeles Pan African, DIFF and the Encounters Film Festivals.
In 2005 an Aids documentary he directed for Sesame Street won the prestigious Peabody Award
in America.
Five years ago Jahmil along with Director/DOP and business partner Daron Chatz wrote and directed, Shogun Khumalo is Dying together.
The Forty minute esoteric drama about the gnostic experience of death was penned as the first step in this filmmaker's venture into dramatic filmmaking. The film was the official guest of the African Cinema initiative held by the French Embassy at 2006 Cannes Film Market or Marche Du Film. The project has since sparked numerous calls of interest and has set in motion the development of a feature film loosely inspired by the original film.
Jahmil has also just recently completed uMalusi, a feature film to be released by Ster Kinekor in March 2009.
Another project in soon to be in pre-production is the poignant feature film, A Small Town Called Descent. The project has Faith Isiakpere and Firdoze Bulbulia as producers as well as award
winning Italian Filmmaker, Ferdinando Vicenti Orignon of The Longest Day fame.
Other CREDITS
Documentary titles include: 'Reporting Live from The Concrete Jungle' - 2000, 'Intifada Comes to WSSD'- 2001, 'Qula Kwedini: A Rite of Passage' - 2002, 'Talk To Me' - 2004 and the Italian Co-Production, Zulu Meets Jazz - 2005.
Directed 'Talk To Me' an hour-long HIV/Aids documentary special that Jahmil collaborated with
Ochre Media and Sesame Street New York.
Television Commercial clients include, Collect A Can, Feed SA, EDCON, The Eastren Cape Government and Stimorol. etc
Various Music video credits include videos for Sony music artist MXO's debut single "Zandiy'bone", And recently kwaito superstar Kabelo's 'Sms' video.
Also dircted episodes of various television Drama series, including Mtunzini. Com as well as the hit youth show, Tshisa 2.
PERSONAL MYTHOLOGY
"Expression is the key to my reality. For me expression is potential realised. It is through expression that one comes closer to the source of all creation."
Read an interview with Jahmil Xolani Qubeka
Read an interview with writer-director Mlandlu Sikwebu
PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN FILMMAKING
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