He is young, passionate, motivated and has a clear vision of becoming a successful filmmaker.
Although he doesn’t have the necessary training and sufficient equipment, Sandisile Ndevu is hard at work to make his dream come true. Not even a tiny-to-non-existent budget has deterred this talented young man from Zwelihle from producing a short film showcasing some of Hermanus’ top tourist attractions. Ndevu called in the help of friends, who assisted him with their time, skills and equipment and used his own money to cover expenses.
Together with his friend Kwanda Mnqasela, who is a cinematographer, Charlotte Nqobile Mbatha, who acted in the short movie, and the Windsor Hotel, which allowed them to use some of its facilities free of charge to shoot some footage, Ndevu worked non-stop for several days to produce the short film that will be showcased at the International Tourism Film Festival in Cape Town from 28 May to 1 June.
He faces stiff competition from more than 400 filmmakers from various African countries who also entered their documentaries, tourism videos and TV programmes related to promoting tourism destinations, products, and services, for the International Tourism Film Festival Africa showcasing event.
A panel of international professionals from the Tourism, Marketing and Film industry evaluated all entries, and the winners will be announced at the end of May at the event in Cape Town.
Ndevu’s reason for entering this competition is two-fold: to showcase his talent and also to promote the beauty and splendour of Hermanus.
“I feel passionate about promoting our talent and the town,” he said. “I want big filmmakers to see we have the talent and skills and beautiful scenery so they will come to the area to make films here. My dream is for these filmmakers to provide training for aspiring filmmakers.”
His short film features a number of well-known Hermanus landmarks, with Mbatha telling potential visitors more about exciting activities and events in the area.
The team also visited and filmed Mardee Cita, a local artist whose beautiful hand-painted hats and shoes have been featured on television and in travel magazines. Frieda Lloyd, Cape Whale Coast Tourism Manager, also appears in the short film to tell the audience about the town’s history.
This short film will be screened at the Hermanus FynArts Festival taking place from 7 to 17 June.
In 2020, one of Ndevu’s dreams came true when he got the opportunity to write and produce his own film entitled Isililo (The Outcry) for an international film competition.
The film was written and shot in 48 hours in Zwelihle and was first screened at the Mall of Africa in Johannesburg. Ndevu has since started his own company, Black Screen Media, which he said is struggling.
To further his career he plans to study filmmaking.
