Entertainment and Fashion

‘The Gunless Soldier’ ready for the screens

‘The Gunless Soldier’ ready for the screens

All is set for the premiere of a new film titled The Gunless Soldier by award winning filmmaker Joyce Mhango Chavula at Golden Peacock in Lilongwe on Friday evening.

Featuring a cast of 50, Mhango said yesterday she was excited to premiere the film which was motivated by the recurring events of people taking the law into their own hands in most parts of the country.

“So, we are just trying to share that in this world of democracy and maybe create conversation. This is a film that seeks to provide entertainment but also tackle this issue in order to spark conversation and bring about change. We are just trying to share the misunderstood version of democracy in a developing country like Malawi,” Mhango Chavula said.

She called upon movie lovers to patronise the premiere saying the film was for them. “It has been long but now we are here.

We enjoyed working on this film and we are thankful   that people are now taking an interest in the arts,” the ‘Lilongwe’ film maker said. She said after the premiere in Lilongwe, they also have plans to take the movie to other areas across the country.

The film comes up following the release of a trailer last month. In the movie, a young girl embarks on an unknown path when she joins a group of self acclaimed soldiers with a hope to find her mother’s killer and revenge.

Due to social inequalities, a group of young men, calling themselves soldiers decide to bring sanity to their community.

Some of the actors starring in the film include Edwin Chonde, Ashukile Mwakisulu, Kelvin Ngoma, Mphatso Chikuni and Lilian Sangano. Chonde and Ngoma, who also played roles in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s film, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and are also part of the recently premiered Pa Mango Lodge television series that airs on Zambezi Magic every Thursday, have also called upon people to patronise the premiere and be part of the history.

Mwakisulu, who has starred in a number of films including Shemu Joyah’s The Last Fishing Boat, said he relished playing a role in the movie.

“We are pushing as the industry and going the right direction. As one of the actors in this movie, I feel this is one of my most outstanding roles,” the Blantyre-based actor and filmmaker said. The film has been produced with support from Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) through Copyright Fund.