Wednesday 9 August 2017

T-Junction to the big screen at Mlimani City


By +Caroline Anande Uliwa @CarolAnande-Instagram @CarolAnande-Facebook @CarolAnande-Twitter


From left Magdalene Christopher & Hawa Ally
lead actresses in this film, where Hawa has won
Best Actress in the 'Bongo Movie' category in the
ZIFF festival this year for her performance in
T-Junction
“There’s waking up at 4am asking myself, what would ‘Fatima’ be doing right now, I am walking then ask myself, what would Fatima think as she is walking here. That is something I took from the training…you are not supposed to act but to live out ‘the character’” Hawa Ally one of the lead actresses playing ‘Fatima’ in the film T-Junction, that debuted at this years ZIFF (Zanzibar International Film festival) as the opening film.

T-Junction a product of Kijiweni Production directed by Amil Shivji with Asst Director Cece Mlay, is a 100 minute feature film. The first feature film from the budding Tanzanian film company, that had it’s humble beginnings on a street corner in Upanga, Dar es Salaam hence its name. http://www.kijiweniproductions.com/

Nilipata fursa ya kukaa chini na waigiazaji wa filamu hii baada ya kuiangalia pale Ngome Kongwe Zanzibar. Nikiwa na Sabrina Kumba aliyeigiza kama Mama Maria, Magdalena Christopher aliyeigiza kama Maria, Moses Meshack na David Msia walioigiza kama baadhi ya wamachinga pale ’t-junction’. 

“Rafiki yangu alintumia meseji kuniambia kuna watu wanaitwa ‘Kijiweni Production’ wana usaili hivyo tunabidi twende tukatafute fursa…Tulikuwa 560! kwanza ile siku yenyewe ya usaili huwezi amini nilichelewa. Nilitakiwa nifike saa tatu nikafika saa tano kwasababu nilipotea. Mpaka nimefika nilikuwa nishaanza kukata tamaa, lakini nillipokabidhiwa mswada nikasame wacha nifanye kazi kadri ya uwezo wangu…” Sabrina Kumba akikumbuka jinsi alivyoibuka mshindi wa kuigiza kama Mama Maria ndani ya filamu hii.

Sabrina Kumba, mmoja wa waigizaji wa filamu hii T-Junction

Sabrina anauzoefu usiopungua miaka 7 kama muigizaji wa jukwaani. Yani kwenye maigizo na michezo akiwa ndani ya vikundi na taasisi mbalimbali. Mbela ya kamera alishawahi kuigiza kwenye matangazo. Ila ndani ya T-Junction, ndo ilikuwa mara yake ya kwanza kuigiza kwa kufuata mswada wa filamu mbele ya kamera za weledi.
“You see what we do is, we do auditions…Without having auditions you are not able to find new talent that’s the basic factor…when I started I was naive. I thought I’ll just have auditions and everyone will come. The big actors, the small actors and all the professionals and then I learned the system and how actors were afraid of tabloids. If they wouldn’t get the role, what would happen to their status, their characters, their persona’s in media.” Amil Shivji Director of T-Junction and company exec of Kijiweni Productions. 

The cast (2nd from left film Director Amil Shivji
with crew of the film 'T-Junction' at the debut screening
of their film inside ZIFF festival in July'17. Where former
President Dr Jakaya Kikwete was guest of Honour as seen in
the photo (middle in beige suit). 
He goes on to explain the challenges his team faces in integrating the two worlds of Bongo Movies & Independent films or rather introducing film etiquettes to the street smarts employed in the local film industry. The result is this film which casts two lead characters who have never acted in front of a camera, namely Hawa Ally and Magdalena Christopher- playing Fatima & Maria respectively, alongside veteran actors in the local movie industry namely Cojack Chilo-Iddi and Tin White-Shabani.


The feature 100 minute film sponsored by the Irish Aid, Selcom & Rosa Luxembourg Foundation. Is set on the streets of Upanga & the suburbs of Mwananyamala in Dar es Salaam. We’re met with Fatima who has just lost her father, who we learn was not much of a father to her growing up. Further along Fatima encounters Maria a strange young lady around her age, who slowly helps Fatima with her conflicted emotions in grieving for her dad.

Magdalena Christopher mmoja wa waigizaji wakuu ndani
ya filamu ya T-Junction
“Mwanzoni kwenye sanaa nilikuwepo lakini nilikuwa nafanya mambo ya ‘modeling’. Sasa baadaye nikasema natamani kuwa mwigizaji…nikaona ngoja niende nikasome…Chuoni ndio tulitumia miswada ya filamu ila si unajua, ni jukwaani likipita limepita. Lakini huku lazima uhariri, lazima ushike neno lile lile. Lakini kule kama kwenye mswada imeandikwa ‘poa’ wewe ukasema ‘safi’ imeshapita.” Magdalena akielezea changamoto alizokumbana nazo kwenye kuigiza ndani ya filamu kwa mara ya kwanza.

Magdalena ni mhitimu wa chuo cha Sanaa Bagamoyo, na kwa kweli kazi yake kwenye filamu hii yavutia. Nafsi anayoicheza ni ngumu kwani, Maria waweza sema amepagawa kidogo, ila pia tunamwona kama kijana wa kawaida. Anayepambana na maisha ili kujikwamua kiuchumi. Vivyo anatokea kuwa msichana wa kazi, na kwa bahati nzuri anampata mpenzi anayemliwaza. Ila ghafla yabadilika na vivyo Maria ndani ya filamu hii, ni kichaa si kichaa, mcheshi, mkweli na Magdalena amefanya kazi nzuri kuturejeshea Maria wa T-Junction.

Moses Meshack, mmoja wa waigizaji
ndani ya filamu hii ya T-Junction
“Tulianza kwanza na mazoezi ya viuongo kulainisha mwili na kusaidia sauti zetu zitoke vizuri, nlikuwa sitegemei kabisa…Baada ya kama wiki mbili hivi, ndo tulifanya mazoezi ya kuigiza jinsi ya kutembea n.k. Sijawahi kuigiza chochcote hii ni filamu yangu ya kwanza…” Moses akielezea kidogo juu ya mafunzo aliyopata na waigizaji wenzake kabla ya kunaswa kwenye filamu na kamera. Mafunzo haya yaliendeshwa na muigizaji Godliver Gordian muigizaji mzoefu, Aisha (2015), Siri ya Mtungi (2012) na Homecoming (2016).

Despite this film pulling virgin actors in front of the camera, performances like those of Hawa Ally. Who has already scooped ‘Best Actress’ at the ZIFF festival this year in their Bongo Movie Awards for her performance in this film. You wouldn’t know think it was her first time in a film. She sunk into her role so well, that I never had that uncomfortable glimpse of the real person behind the character. Performances by Magdalena Christopher, Tin White Shabani & Moses Meshack were as well impressive. Moses even gained weight for his role, the man is obviously meant to be an actor. Shabani added vulnerability to his comedic character making his performance memorable.

David Msia, mmoja wa waigizaji wa filamu ya T-Junction
“Nakumbuka baada tu ya kuambiwa tutamuigiza nani, tuliambiwa tukajuane na wahusika. Kwa bahati nzuri niliweza tembelea sehemu amabazo walibomolewa wamachinga kama pale Mbezi, Kibaha walikokuwa wanabomolewa ili kupanua barabara. Nilijionea mwenyewe kwamba hawa ni wenzetu. Licha ya kumkuta asubuhi anapokuuzia gazeti au matunda. Hawa pia ni wana familia, ni watu ambao wana maisha yao, ni watu ambao wana hadithi zao. Ni watu ambao wakikutana pale wanajua hii ni sehemu ya mtu fulani, hii ni sehemu ya mtu flani…” David Msia akisimulia kilichompa hamasa kuigiza kama mmachinga kwenye filamu hii.

The Assistant Director of this film Cece Mlay,
who has worked on all the films produced at Kijiweni
Productions
Kama hukuwepo Zanzibar kujionea filamu hii, usikose kuitazama pale Mlimani City kuanzia tarehe 11 hadi 17 mwezi huu. Naye Cece Mlaya msaidizi Muendashaji wa filamu hii, aliniambia kuwa filamu hii endapo watanzania wengi watafika kuingalia. Viyvo wao watavyoweza kupewa siku nyingi zaidi za maonyesho pale Mlimani City. Hata kuweza kuipeleka mikoani na nje ya mipaka ya Tanzania.

T-Junction will be showing at Mlimani City from the 11th till the 17th of this month, be sure to catch it. So as to support our own stories on the big screen. Kudos to the whole team for the ability to engrave our everday scenes onto the big screen (it just doesn’t get old). Also for delivering intelligent storytelling with flashbacks, color grading that was on point and a tempo that completed the emotive qualities of the story. The film has already won the Best European African Film Festival Award’ of 1000 Euros from ZIFF this year.

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