New SFP film “Freedom” expresses contemporary urban challenges

Life is just getting tougher and tougher each day that passes. The hope for a prosperous Zimbabwe is diminishing every hour that passes. These desperate situations have eventually called for desperate measures where people engage in illicit deals in an effort to “search of liberal life.” The consequences are either positive or negative to the partakers, that’s the contemporary living condition explained in the short film “Freedom” whose script was written by Nigel Ndlovu who is based in Bulawayo.
Thousands of people have left the country in search of greener pastures, sadly some of them have indulged in deals that led them lose their lives or crippled. Others do not hesitate to kill their own brothers.
“Surely for people like me, there is no hope except to scrounge for a living in South Africa,” said Takunda Pasipamire.
Indeed life in South African and other foreign lands pains. It’s a case of winning or losing. Most of the people who are becoming more successful in such foreign lands engage in illicit deals.
This venom is now sprouting to some parts of Zimbabwe especially Bulawayo as revealed by Ndlovu.
Unilaterally declaring themselves free, people are ultimately found within such circles.
Hardships are breeding a state of false consciousness where individuals blindly declare themselves free. Free to steal, free to kill, free to do some other illegal activities you may think of.
Being an eyewitness of such disturbing behaviour, through “Freedom”, he articulates well that discourse.
“Inspired by some things that I have seen happening, that affected some of my family members, I thought of writing the script for “Freedom” to express how desperation and greediness have seen some people within this country and those outside doing criminal activities. Here people are earning a living through drug trafficking,” said Ndlovu in an interview with the ZIFFT Update.

“All these illegal dealings are being done in a quest for a good living. People now believe in declaring themselves free in order to earn a good living and partake in such deals. In the story the protagonist Freedom , played by Aleck Zulu seeks a break away from the harsh conditions and when his close friend Themba played by Clive Chigubhu is killed in a blood storm, Freedom retaliates,” he explained.
Thinking outside freedom, the recent job loses which emanated from Supreme Court’s resolution of July 17, the dismissal of vending in Central Business Districts (CBDs) of cities around the country would most likely cause an increase in illegal activities like theft, robbery and human trafficking.
Freedom is a film which you should definitely be glued on among other films during this year’s Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF).
The film was produced under the Short Film Project (SFP).