Namibian filmmakers’ Chapter screening

Two Namibian filmmakers being mentored in Wales have had their work screened at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, as part of an African film festival.

The screening was the culmination of a two-week residency in Wales for Felicia Mutonga and Darryn February supported by Cardiff University.

Felicia and Darryn won a competition for their short films about youth culture and multilingualism in Namibia, which were shown at Chapter on 12 November as part of the Watch Africa 2017 film festival.

The residency was sponsored by a ground-breaking project to support and study multilingualism in Namibia - Transnationalizing Modern Languages: Global Challenges, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. It has been developed through a partnership between Cardiff University’s Phoenix Project, the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Watch Africa film festival.

The mentoring has helped Felicia and Darryn to establish lasting links with the film sector in Wales and offered a platform for their work.

Felicia said: "It’s an honour and a privilege to be granted an opportunity that will not only shape my future alone but also benefit those coming behind me."

Darryn added: "This was an amazing opportunity for us to develop our film making skills."

Professor Loredana Polezzi, of Cardiff University’s School of Modern Languages and member of the Transnationalizing Modern Languages team, said: "Namibia is a country where speaking multiple languages is the norm..."

Fadhili Maghiya, Watch Africa: Wales Africa Film Festival coordinator, said: "When we set up the festival in 2012, it was always with the intention of creating opportunities for aspiring filmmakers to learn and showcase their work, so to be doing that earlier than expected is really satisfying. The partnership with Cardiff University and many others has been a major factor in being able to do this. We hope that this is just the beginning."

The film festival is supported by British Film Institute (BFI), Arts Council Wales, Black History Month, Welsh Government, Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel, Cardiff University, Hub Cymru Africa and others.

The Phoenix Project is a partnership with the University of Namibia to tackle poverty and promote good health. It is part of Cardiff University’s Transforming Communities programme to improve the health, wealth and wellbeing of communities in Cardiff, Wales, the UK and further afield.