Zim director scoops American film award

Njagu beat contestants from 113 other countries in the foreign language category for the action-packed The Gentleman, which stars Big Brother Africa star, Munya Chidzonga as a double act of Tawanda and Takunda; Presley Chweneyagae of the Oscar-winning South African film, Tsotsi, as Sipho; and also a wide range of Zimb-abwean celebrated entertainers including business magnate, Phillip Chiyangwa.
The American International Film Festival awards were announced last Saturday night.
The development comes at a time when the country’s film industry, which had developed cobwebs as a result of a dearth in funding coupled with a decade-long economic recession, is beginning to dust itself and setting out to reclaim ost ground.
Getting the best director award means the movie was seamless in both technical and creative aspects as the director overseas every aspect of the movie.
Njagu was ecstatic about the development and proclaimed: “This is a way of God speaking to me; telling me that this is my gift and that I am in the right direction with my career.
“It’s humbling really. It’s not just my award alone, but the whole Gentleman team and my country as well; It’s God’s glory shining through us.”
The entrance of the film on the American festival was facilitated by one of the executive producers, Sylvia Chimhina, who is based in the United States.
The Gentleman premiered in Harare last month and is now showing at the Rainbow cinemas in Harare and Bulawayo.
It is a story of two identical twin brothers whose identical worlds have gone drastically wrong. With one staying in South Africa and the other in Zimbabwe fate throws at them financial situations that force them to drop the principles and values of integrity and pick up survival tactics. One twin fights to save the life of his wife and baby, but sticking to his Christian morals; and the other battles to save his own life. Reuniting after eight years, they get entangled into the unfamiliar worlds of Zimbabwe’s manipulative corporate darkness and South Africa’s Mafioso street corruption.
The Gentleman team was expected to leave for Malawi this week ahead of the premiere in Blantyre on December 3.
Njagu will also be travelling to the United States next week where he will attend more festivals.