Sydney Taivavashe and Town Clerk Gusha
Tatenda Shunyai
09 March 2019, MASVINGO – A Charles Austin Theatre-based film director, Sydney Taivavashe, last week landed a top gong in the outstanding short film category for his film “Seiko” at the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) held in Harare.
The 25-year-old Taivavashe says he is thrilled by the honour as it shows that his toiling had not been in vain.
“I feel greatly honoured and happy that our work here in Masvingo is being recognised and appreciated in our country. We are working very hard so that we make Masvingo a hub of artistic expression and to change perceptions that only large cities like Harare and Bulawayo can produce something tangible,” said Taivavashe.
He expressed gratitude to other artists and directors that he works with at the Charles Austin Theatre.
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Doug Hill for supporting my passion. He is a man who is very passionate about art.
“I also thank Charles Munganasa for producing the film through huge effort. I acknowledge all the artists that I work with; the award stays at Charles Austin Theatre and it is their award too,” said Taivavashe.
The young film director, who says he is inspired by Tsitsi Dangarembga, produced his first short film in 2006 called ‘The Terrific Night’ and went on to produce others like ‘The Unexpected’ and ‘Through the Night 1 and 2’.
The award winning film was shown at the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2016 and was nominated in best foreign film.entertainment
