Local film to premiere in Moscow

Lerato Matheka MASERU— A local documentary, Good Night My White Pride, is set to be screened at “Days of Ethnographic Cinema” film festival in Moscow, Russia, next month. The documentary was produced by local filmmaker Jeremiah Mosese in collaboration with his German partner Hannah Stockmann. “This is the first time the film has been selected at a film festival. Last year we submitted it at the Black History Month film festival (in the United States),”Mosese told XpressPeople. The documentary is about racism and the legacy of colonialism, Mosese said. “We interviewed both black and white people from different parts of the world concerning questions such as “What does it mean to be black/white?”

“So basically the documentary looks at how racism is socially constructed and reproduced over hundreds of years,” he said. The documentary was shot both in Lesotho and South Africa and has subtitles in three languages. Mosese said the documentary has Portuguese, Sesotho and Germany subtitles to allow access to the international market. “I have totally outgrown myself. When I look back a few years ago, I literally laugh because of what I have now become and I can just stand in awe,” he said. Mosese is currently living in Berlin, Germany.

“Living in Europe has taught me a lot about my country and its funny how one has to get out of the country to see it from a different perspective, then appreciate the rich stories Lesotho has,” he said.

“There is however nothing too special here, the only difference is that the film culture is taken seriously.” He said this environment is good for growth. Mosese however added he does not need to live in Berlin, United States or Paris to make it in the film industry. He said he was honoured to have his documentary screened in Moscow “especially when you are a newbie”. “For some it’s just a matter of pride but to me it means a personal gain and more opportunities since it says a lot on my resume. It also allows good networking. “For a Mosotho guy like me it simply speaks volumes as far as my background is concerned and it means I can continue doing what I want to do. It also means somewhere in another part of the world someone is watching and relating to the pictures we are painting in film,” he said. Mosese said future filmmakers will have better chances to live in Lesotho as artistes.

“Lesotho is probably the only country in the southern hemisphere that doesn’t support its artistes especially in film, yet we are still stuck in “Lesotho fats’e la bo-ntata rona” to establishing ourselves and grow the industry. “Despite the politically backward system that has been here for all these years, we have however come up and let the world feel our weight and that is a part of my achievement.” Mosese said Lesotho should look out for more projects to come under his company, Mokoari Street Productions. “In September Hannah and I will be in Denmark directing a feature film that is set in Berlin, Denmark and Lesotho but I can’t disclose any information as yet. This is just part of many exciting projects we are working on,” he said.