Mohalenyane Phakela
LOCALLY-produced film, The Lost Cause is among 43 international films that will be screened to audiences at the 12th edition of the annual Dieciminuti Film Festival (DFF) in Italy from 24 to 28 January next year.
The festival is structured into four sections, namely, the Official Section (for short films up to 10 minutes), Extra Large (for short films from 10 to 15 minutes length) Animations (animations up to 10 minutes) and Visti da Vicino (short films from the province of Frosinone).
The Lost Cause is the only African film and it will be screened in the Official Section along with 19 others from Europe, America and Asia.
It was produced by Lebohang Motlomelo, a fourth-year Broadcasting and Journalist student at Limkokwing University in Maseru. Motlomelo is also a member of a group, Universe Films.
The 4-minute film won the Best Student Film at the Lesotho Film Festival 2016 last month. It tells the story of a young man (Mosiuoa) who finds himself trapped in a world of pride, wickedness and evil after his brother (Ramonne) left him alone to join the liberation army in response to the capture of their father by the army.
Motlomelo this week told the Weekender that he was excited by the prospect of the international exposure the screening would afford him, saying, “The local film industry is still at its infancy therefore we need all the exposure we can get to take it to the global level”.
“I always search for international film platforms on the internet and this is one of those I tried my luck at and I was successful.
“I am still talking with the organisers about how it will work and so far I have learned that the winners will get the opportunity to enroll at their academy,” Motlomelo said, adding this would motivate him to produce more films.
Motlomelo however said he would require sponsorship to attend the festival as it was not clear whether the organisers would fund travel and accommodation costs to the event which can only be won by a director who will attend.
The Ha Abia-born Motlomelo’s also won the Best Student Film at the 2014 Lesotho Film Festival awards for his film, The Ghost.
DFF was founded in 2005 by IndieGesta, a cultural organisation based in Ceccano in central Italy. It is a festival for showcasing short films. In 2009 it created a film school, Dieciminuti Academy that is dedicated to training young people for a career in the world of cinema.
