The ManicaPost
Liberty Dube
Entertainment Correspondent
LOCAL showbiz continues to grow in leaps and bounds following the release of a horror movie, “Ngozi” which is slowly gaining rave reviews following its premiere on YouTube last month.
The movie did not gain considerable and expected recognition after it was initially released on a pay-per-view platform, Castlly on May 25.
This was after the site turned out to be complicated for the targeted audience to navigate.
It has since been re-launched on YouTube and horror movie movers and critics in the showbiz fraternity seem to be falling in love with the unique and weird presentation.
The movie features a contingent of Mutare’s established and upcoming actors and actresses, among them Pastor Tinashe Murigo, Leonard Tsikira, Stephen Mutsago, Tapiwa Marahwa and Rachael Marara.
“Ngozi”, written and directed by Martin Makaya, is a story about a man, Dennis, played by Tinashe Murigo and his family who find themselves haunted by a creepy ghost, Choga, played by Leonard ‘DJ Lampy’ Tsikira.
Choga is up for vengeance and is determined to torment his killers.
As the haunting intensify, the family tries different methods to unravel the mysterious happenings.
They later discovered that Dennis and his late friends are responsible for the death of Choga 13 years earlier.
Shot in Mutare city and the peri-urban area of Dora, the movie is the second high profile and professional project done by locals released this year after “Vicious Circle”.
As a way of marketing the project, the production and marketing team came up with memory cards for physical sales until its final release on YouTube.
Makaya, in an interview, said despite the Castlly hiccup, the movie has been getting overwhelming response.
“Marketing was entirely digital and initial response was very good though much momentum was lost during the Castlly period. However, it is slowly regaining momentum since its availability on YouTube.
“We want to re-tell the untold story. This is a Zimbabwean real life story. Ngozi was inspired by real life experiences which are otherwise not always identified by most storytellers.
“We also appreciate the complexity of the film industry in Zimbabwe, but we will not rest until we have built a solid foundation for it to be a lucrative business one day. We may not be the ones to reap the benefits, but we will certainly be the ones to plant the seeds,” he said.
The antagonist in the movie, Tsikira, who plays a creepy and vicious ghost who is up for vengeance against his killers said:
“I personally enjoyed playing around with people’s emotions. The feedback on YouTube is very encouraging, especially the fact that it is a horror movie and not many film makers are bold enough to pull it off in Zimbabwe. I must say the audience were surprised in a good way. Not all is positive, but we only take the lessons to future projects.”
