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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
UNITED Kingdom-born actress and director, Tanyaradzwa “Tanya” Fear, who has roots in Zimbabwe has said the immense acting talent endowed in Bulawayo should be tapped into in order to promote the city’s creative industry.

Tanya who is known for her roles on Doctor Who (2005), A Moving Image (2016) and Kick-Ass 2 (2013) has been in the country since January and has toured different parts of the country including Matobo, Hwange and Victoria Falls. She has been keeping her thousands of fans updated through posts on social media.

Tanya’s roots are in Bulawayo, a city that her mother hails from and she attended Whitestone Primary School.

After completing high school, she relocated to Los Angeles at the age of 19 to chase her dream of acting.

In her 10-year acting career, Fear has featured in Hollywood films, TV shows in England and even starred in a series on the popular online streaming service, Netflix. The shows include Dr Who and Kick-Ass 2.

Now, she is back home to offer support to local filmmakers in order to boost the film industry.

Already, she is working on a short film with award-winning producer Joe Njagu, a production that features musician and radio personality Patience Musa.

Fear has been very busy as she has been working on several projects. Last month, she shared images of a photo-shoot that was conducted by top photographers, Josh Webster and Tinashe Charleston and hailed them as well as the city’s designers for coming together for the shoot.

In March this year, she led a workshop at Amakhosi Studios where she engaged up-and-coming Zimbabwean filmmakers. Amakhosi founder, Cont Mhlanga was in attendance.

Chronicle Showbiz recently caught up with the Hollywood actress.

“I came back to Zimbabwe to do some TV and film here. I’d love to expand my work with local filmmakers and see what we can do to push forward as I know there’re so many talented filmmakers here.”

She expressed her keenness to promote Zimbabwean talent, particularly that from the Matabeleland region.

“When I arrived here (Bulawayo), I was blown away by the creativity in the city. We have musicians, artistes, actors, filmmakers, directors and writers, you name it. This city is popping and I decided to showcase my writing and my acting skills by collaborating with local artistes and filmmakers as this is just something that’s really important to me,” said Tanya.

She said the gap between Hollywood and the country’s film industry can be addressed through bridging the digital gap.

“Creativity is there, but just that sometimes we don’t have resources. It’s just a matter of discovering the talent, collaborating, finding the resources and making the kind of stuff that we want to. This is what I’m trying to do through an amazing collaboration of a female-led film about two sisters embarking on a road trip. The production features Patience Musa and me.

“A lot is happening on the Zimbabwean roads with its rich tourist sites and the production will feature some of these. We’re hoping to release the production by end of this year.,” said Tanya.

Turning to her personal life, Tanya said her mother who was born and raised in Bulawayo is a very proud African woman.

“She raised me that way as well. I was born in the UK and I came to Zimbabwe when I was nine years old. That’s when I attended Whitestone Primary School. I’m still in touch with my primary school friends and it’s always great linking up with some of them,” said Tanya. – @mthabisi_mthire