By Panashe Bariri
The Zim-film industry might not be on top of the game, yet. It certainly is a part of the fast-growing industries. Some of the recent productions have actually made it to internationally recognized platforms like Netflix.
Rain Media is one of the fastest-growing broadcasting company which started in 2016. It was founded by Shem Zemura. Inspired by his passion to create entertainment that draws audiences to their screens, he has also successfully created films that educate and inform.
“I would like to call myself a Pan Africanist who uses film to fight for equality through painting a true picture of Africa by telling stories about Africa by Africans and for Africa and the rest of the world,” Shame Zemura said.
The producer is also an actor and has featured in Muzita Rababa as Cleopas, and will also be appearing in the upcoming television series, Brooke Triad. This is something to look out for!
Rain Media is striving to create content that tells Zimbabwe’s stories in a way that depicts its values, norms, and practices. The motive is to get Zimbabweans to be entertained by locally produced content instead of Western films. Films like award-winning Kushata Kwemoyo, Death and Other Company, popular television shows Muchaneta, and multi-award-winning Muzita RaBaba were produced by Rain Media.
What is disappointing is that besides producing successful movies, film organizations like Rain Media fail to get ample international recognition from organizations like Zambezi Magic. Recently, Rain Media’s Death and Other Complications was nominated for the best feature film at the Sotambe International Film and Arts Festival.
At some point, the question would have been Zimbabwe creating poor films? After winning countless awards, l think the question no longer suffices. It’s a matter of neglect.
The neglect has crippled the industry. Despite countless efforts by wonderful and experienced film producers like Zemura, the problem has even been worsened by Zimbabweans themselves who would rather watch foreign content than local offering. That is surprising!
