Zimbabwean film ‘Gonarezhou: The Movie’ premieres in Kenya

Zimbabwean anti-poaching film ‘Gonarezhou: The Movie’ premiered in Kenya on November 3, 2022 at the Westgate mall cinema.

The film, which was produced in cooperation with Zimbabwean Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, raises awareness against wildlife poaching and human trafficking.

The movie is a crime story about a man named Zulu who narrates his tragic experiences to a media house when he was trying to look for a better life in the city.

Zulu lived in the village with his mother who later felt ill and died. The tough times in the village forced him to move to the city after being promised a well-paying job by a wealthy stranger whom he assisted when his car broke down.

On moving to the city, he gets introduced to a risky poaching gig as the ‘well-paying job’ that he had been promised, which he tries to decline but his efforts become futile.

The business is termed as risky because it is between life and death as the Zimbabwean anti-poaching unit is on standby to arrest or kill the poachers.

As fate would have it, he meets Thulo, a young lady who was forced into prostitution by a woman who took her when she was 16.

Both Zulu and Thulo acknowledge living terrible lives because they have no option. They however, fall in love and agree to run away together. But Zulu must first accomplish one mission before he heads to Maputo to meet Thulo.

The last mission is to kill an elephant and obtain its tusks. Zulu is hesitant because almost all the poachers had been killed, leaving only four.

They succeed to kill the elephant and get its tusk but all the other three poachers are killed as Zulu manages to escape narrowly.

Surprisingly, the head of the anti-poaching unit, Sergeant Onai, was Zulu’s ex-lover who gave up their relationship in pursuit of her dreams.

She confronts Zulu during the search but finds it hard to shoot him following their history and allows him to escape.

Wounded, Zulu finds refuge in a nearby bar where he takes a couple of drinks as he waits for his long-time friend to rescue him.

As he watches the screen, he sees his musical outfit - which he had given up on - making headlines with recognition as the ‘Best Music Band.’

The movie screening was attended by guests drawn from the Kenyan and Zimbabwean governments, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, conservation organizations, human-wildlife conflict activists, filmmakers, journalists and influencers.

‘Gonarezhou: The Movie’ won an award at the 2020 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles as the ‘Best First Feature.’ It was also been nominated for National Art Merit Award’s ‘Outstanding Feature Film’ of 2022 in Zimbabwe.

The Kenya Film Commission (KFC) is also fighting to go international in African stories in collaboration with other African countries.

“We are making efforts for Kenya to collaborate with Zimbabwe and other countries on a feature film that not only talks about wildlife conservation but also the environment at large…..environment here means the wildlife and their habitat,” said Timothy Owase, the commission CEO.

The film, shot in Zimbabwe in 2019, is produced by Zimbabwean Producer, Actor, and Conservationist Tariro Washe, who also stars in the movie as Sargent Onai.

It boasts of an all-star cast that also includes Tamy Moyo, Eddie Sandifolo, Tendaiishe  Chitima, Tinashe Nhukarume, Charles Mzemba, Jackson Chavhanga, Courage Murambadar, and Tawanda Mazvanya.

The film Director, Sydney Taivashe, said; “Gonarezhou: The Movie is meant to raise awareness of cruel acts against wildlife in Africa with a purpose to instil a sense of responsibility and fear to those who might be considering poaching as a way to gain quick riches.”