KINGSTONE ZIMUNYA
WHEN Tafadzwa Ranganai scooped the Outstanding Screenwriting for a Film at the inaugural ZAFTA's in December 2023 (for his debut feature film Nevanji), it was the crowning moment in a decade-plus journey of passion and dedication.
With Nevanji and four short films under his belt, the 39 year old has added another feature film to his stellar filmography — a supernatural horror-thriller titled Bako; which he wrote, directed and edited.
The 80-minute movie will be introduced to Zimbabwean audiences on Friday 24 May at Jasen Mphepho Little Theatre, after a fantastic film festival circuit run in 2023 (as Cavern).
The thriller garnered official selections at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival, Botswana International Film Festival, Bantu Film Festival and the Lift Off Global Network Sessions in the United Kingdom.
But, considering the dialogue for Bako is in Shona, we were keen to know how foreign audiences reacted to the movie.
"The movie was quite popular on the festival circuit, despite the fact that it’s wall to wall Shona language (laughs). People had to read subtitles, but they still loved it.
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| Tafadzwa Ranganai |
"I credit the acting and the story for that. The actors really brought their A-game," answered Ranganai as we had a quick catch-up with him ahead of Friday's premiere.
The story of Bako follows four illegal gold miners; Peter (played by Mathias Kureva, brothers Tanaka (portrayed by Zebron Thembo) and Kuda (played by Paul Zibgowa); and Simon (portrayed by Kudzai Kizito Madangwa).
The quartet go in search of an abandoned mine called Mermaid Mine, lured by legend of "the largest recorded gold deposits ever" in the mine. After a long search, they eventually find their big score, as well as what looks like an ancient burial site.
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| Scenes from Bako movie |
One of them gets greedy and robs the grave, triggering a cave-in that kills one of them. The surviving trio find themselves trapped underground and being pursued by a murderous creature.
They soon discover that an ancient creature lives in the maze of tunnels, and they not only have to find a way out but to fight for survival.
The ambitious project has been two years in the making. Ranganai had the script ready in March of 2022, but the concept for the movie - set underground, meant that they had to go beyond the usual.
He then gathered his band of visionaries to bring the script to life — Kuda Bryan Bwititi and Admire Kanhenga for the production, John Wilson for the cinematography, Charles Nechironga on sound; and outstandingly so, Progress Nyandoro on Production Design.
The team built their own film set; caves and tunnels where their characters would try to escape the monster(s).
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| Set design for Bako movie |
They built what is probably the most extensive film set built in modern film history in Zimbabwe, all through trial and error. Some location shots were shot in the small mining town of Mashava.
Two productions studios; Creative Hub Films and In-House Media, combined for the score.
Going forward, Ranganai wants to keep exploring horror further. Our very own John Carpenter, perhaps? But how did he fall in love with horror in the first place?
"Growing up, my grandmother used to tell all her grandkids scary stories. Ngano dzavo dzaityisa! Also, my mother writes murder mystery novels so I guess it’s in the blood," he answers.
The talent was already flowing through his veins, the idea was ambitious, the product is world class, now for the real headache — distribution. Zimflix productions have been struggling to draw the average Zimbabwean's eyes away from the popular foreign productions watched in homes all over the country.
In giving his reasons for such a predicament, Ranganai shares the sentiments of most filmmakers, saying;
"I believe the low rate of uptake of our films stems from unavailability. Audiences have nowhere to watch our films. Lack of access. If they were easily available, I’m sure people would watch them a lot."
As an antidote, Ranganai has ambitions of making “Bako” the first widely released local film in Zimbabwe since “Yellow Card”. He exclusively revealed to ZimSphere that the plan to hold screenings of the movie across Zimbabwe over the next few months.
The premiere of Bako comes barely a fortnight after introduction of the ZimDigital decoder, an initiative by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe. All of Zimbabwe's TV channels will be available on the Video Satellite platform at a once-off cost of just USD25.
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| Hope for Zimflix? — Recently introduced ZimDigital decoder |
Quizzed about his views on the initiative, Ranganai answers;
"I think the local decoder, if rolled out properly, will be a total game changer. A decoder where one can access all the local productions will expose audiences to the vast talent that exists in Zimflix."
But...
"The rollout of the decoders has to be done right. The marketing needs to be on point. People have to know what the advantage of buying one, and they have to be available to buy practically anywhere," he concludes with some advice for the powers that be.
If you're in Harare on Friday 24 May, be sure to attend the red carpet premiere of Bako at Jasen Mphepho Little Theatre. The event starts at 1800, and entry is $10.
Directions are below:
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