By Matṧeliso Phulane
Netizens are looking forward to the release of a local film, ‘Molelekoa’, following the release of its trailer last week.
The movie by filmmaker and script writer Moso Sematlane will be screened later this year.
It follows the escapades of a Mosotho man, Molelekoa, who has a brush with the law and finds himself being hunted down by police.
As he flees from the police, Molelekoa contemplates whether to stay or leave the country he loves, for good. Throughout the police chase, we encounter other characters who are also pondering what it means to live in Maseru, the good and bad of it.
Born and bred in Maseru, Sematlane was also captivated by the beauty of the city itself, which he thought would perfectly align with the film.
“Producing this film, I was initially fascinated by Maseru itself. The film takes place in quite a number of locations in the city that I thought would be beautiful to film, like the taxi rank, the Cathedral Area, and around Naleli. I wanted to capture that because I find Maseru intriguing.
“I was also inspired by films and directors I love like ‘Hyenas’ which is directed by Djibril Mambety, the work of the director Jean Luc Godard, and the work of the director Richard Linklater,” he said.
Molelekoa is the second short film he is releasing independently after he made seven short films for his school between 2017 and 2020. Then in 2022, he released a short film called ‘Burnt Norton’ which can be watched online.
‘Molelekoa’ stars the likes of Meshu Mokitimi,Tlotliso Lesei, Simphiwe Nzima, Khauhelo Seliane, Tebatso Molapo, and Lereko Mafethe.
Taking the characters of the movie into account, Sematlane chose actors that he believed had something unique and extraordinary about them as people.
“I think in as much as a camera captures a character, it is essentially still capturing the person. So, I chose people that had an aura about them that I found interesting because cameras have a way of capturing even the tiniest detail of a person, and the essence of a person.
“The way I work is quite open-ended and enables actors to go off-script and improvise. The ability and willingness to play, be creative, and not be too straight-jacket is something I considered when choosing actors for the movie.
“I am one person who does quite well under pressure or limitations, and I think I overcame them because my vision for the film superseded the difficulties I faced in making it. It seemed almost like it was demanding me to make it; it didn’t let me rest,” he noted.
According to Sematlane, the industry in Lesotho is growing as Basotho are making films and are interested in films, but they don’t have the resources.
As a result, he thinks it speaks to their creativity as natural born storytellers.
“With that said, film has the potential to create jobs and tackle other social problems in the country. I, therefore, urge the government to engage filmmakers to try and figure out how they can be helped.
“For aspiring filmmakers just starting out I would say, firstly, watch a lot of films. There is a large collection of films and filmmaking from all over the world and you learn a lot by immersing yourself in them.
“I would also say, figure out what makes you unique and different as a person, and apply this to your filmmaking. There are really no cast-in-stone rules to what makes a good film. Also, don’t be afraid of being different and follow whatever it is that inspires you the most,” he added.
