BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
Umbono Film Screening is an event that spotlights and supports local filmmaking. The selected films have a local youth production percentage of 80% or higher. In heritage and art spaces like UJ Arts & Culture, these screenings introduce people who typically watch commercial films to independent African films, thereby fostering audience development.
This will be accomplished through productive collaborations with industry players who share a commitment to expanding South Africa’s audience, fostering the growth of the film industry, and promoting the country as a destination for film tourists. Each film has its own recommended age range and all screenings are free.
Set in the heart of the Maluti mountains, in Lesotho; Skeletons grapples with social and political issues. This magical realist film casts a spotlight on matters of land and ownership. Stories of four multi-dimensional characters unfold in a space and time of absolute scarcity, and they wrestle to break free from the vicious cycle of oppression, Skeletons confronts the notions of home, belonging and identity.
Skeletons brings a talented cast to the screen featuring Mpho Osei-Tutu in the pivotal role of Mmutla. Wayne van Rooyen as the thief Vince, who is on the run dragging with him an enslaved person, Roy, played by Jacques Blignaut and a clairvoyant enchantress, Lily, played by Carla Fonseca-Mokgata.
Directed by UJ Arts & Culture Resident Director Jade Bowers, written by Head of Division Pieter Jacobs and produced by Operations Manager Karabo Legoabe with choreography by Lakin Morgan-Baatjies and the talented Bonga Nkomo as Cinematographer.
Image and source: University of Johannesburg
