Breaking Borders

Stories from Women of the South

Thirteen women filmmakers from Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe came together in Johannesburg South Africa in May for a workshop under the project Breaking Borders. The filmmakers were divided up in five NATIONAL teams, with Zimbabwe and Zambia forming one joint partnership. Each of the teams comprised a director, scriptwriter and producer, who had various levels of experience from upcoming filmmakers to more seasoned participants. is Breaking Borders is a project of Mpho Ramathuthu of Tshanduko Media, whose objective is to break the borders of the continent through filmmaking and telling the stories of women in the continent of Africa to show that we are one people with one story.

The workshop, engaged with the script development phase of the project through intense sessions to conceptualize the single theme pertaining to SADC women and subsequently to write a storyline for each team's production. Mamokoena Makhema, who facilitated the workshop, conducted soul-searching group discussions, which, together with presentations from the participants, enabled the teams to complete their assignments. The theme agreed on was Overcoming Societal Pressures and Expectations with each story showing a triumphant woman who overcomes the modern day pressures put on women by their families, societies, work environments and other societal institutions.

All teams continue to work on their scripts following the workshop. The outcomes of the project are to be six short films produced from the scripts brainstormed at the workshop.

In addition to the day sessions the ladies also attended several film screenings at the We Are Africa Film Festival, which was taking place simultaneously in Johannesburg and provinces of South Africa.
Team Zim-Zam is comprised of Jessie Chisi an award winning filmmaker from Zambia as the scriptwriter director and Zimbabwean Angeline Madyara from Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe as the producer.