Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
WHEN Zimbabweans talk about the greatest films ever made in the country, they almost always refer to yesteryear ones, among them Neria and Yellow Card which were produced in 1992 and 2000 respectively.
For over two decades, a number of films and dramas have tried to surpass the creativity of these two great works with the likes of Isithembu, Amakorokoza, Studio 263 and Xola hitting the right chord. Most though, have failed to make it outside the country’s borders.
But now, it seems that is about to change as movie, Cook Off, that was produced in 2017 in over a month, has proven to be a game changer after having premiered at various international festivals and recently, being given a slot on Internet entertainment service, Netflix.
There is hope that Cook Off, a movie that was written and directed by Tomas Lutuli Brickhill and produced by Joe Njagu, will rejuvenate and create a new journey for the country’s film industry’s prosperity.
In less than three weeks, Zimbabweans who have shown eagerness to support one of their works, will have the opportunity to stream the film with the rest of the world on Netflix, a service that has over 160 million subscribers.
For movies to be world acclaimed, some take months and even years to reach the ultimate end user, the audience.
Narrating their film’s journey, Cook Off producer Njagu said the film came to reality after a group of daring filmmakers decided that they wanted to tell a different Zimbabwean story.
“We wanted to tell our own story. We wanted to tell an African story which was not about famine or warlords or wildlife or suffering. We wanted to tell a story about love, family and the joy we all get from reality cooking shows,” said Njagu.
Well aware of the country’s economic challenges, director, Brickhill said they believed that with the abundant talent, skills and passion for filmmaking, they would be able to tell a refreshing story of Zimbabwe.
“Cook Off started to form from combining the talents of dozens of Zimbabweans both in front and behind the camera – many of whom had met on the real-life version of the popular show, Battle of the Chefs, which is featured in the film,” said Brickhill.
He said the film was shot at a variety of locations across Harare that include Gava’s Restaurant, Chez Zandi’s, Organikks, Emmanuels at the Bronte, Pariah State, Londoners Sports Bar and Old Hararians Sports Club, places which the world is going to appreciate through the movie.
What makes the movie even more interesting is the characters who include Jesesi Mungoshi, Tendaiishe Chitima, musicians Tehn Diamond Shingai Shonhiwa and guitarist Sylent Nqo. The presence of talented teenager Eugene Zimbudzi also added icing on the cake.
Cook Off follows the journey of Anesu, a down-on-her-luck single mother from Harare’s Budiriro township who becomes a national sensation after she qualifies for Zimbabwe’s top reality TV cooking show. She then finds herself out of her depth battling against professional chefs.
“We wanted to tell a story of hope in the face of adversity. A story of the struggles and dreams of ordinary Zimbabweans, one of a really strong woman,” narrated Brickhill.
“The underlying message of Cook Off is to never give up, even if it feels like sometimes the whole world is against you. It also shows how important the love of friends and family is, and how much you can achieve when people believe in you and you believe in yourself.”
Before being selected to be shown on Netflix, Cook Off was selected to screen at a number of international film festivals in Rotterdam, Seattle, Durban, Nairobi and PAFF in Los Angeles. Although they could not afford to go to all the festivals, Brickhill said it was really helpful as connections were made.
To show how much of a good production it is, Cook Off won Best Film and Best Actress at the 2019 Namas and ZIFF in 2018. –@mthabisi_mthire.