Namibian women’s films shine at Warehouse Theatre

Dead of winter film screenings are a hard sell but it seems Windhoekers are excited about the women.

An almost full house arrives at the Warehouse Theatre griping about the weather, banishing it with booze,settling in for the thrill. The latter is the sheer event that is the screening of four films written, directed and starring Namibian women. Naomi Beukes-Meyer’s affecting ‘The Wind on Your Skin’, Lavinia Kapewasha’s Afro-futurist ‘Iitandu’,Mikiros Garoes’ comedic ‘The Date’ and Senga Brockerhoff’s thrilling ‘Encore’. To begin, we alight at Rehoboth where a young woman has been brutally murdered. Poetry enthused and furious, Beukes-Meyer’s film decries the blind eyes of the media and society habitually ignoring the plight of the town’s LGBT community in a web series instalment that is at once activism and art directed by Jana von Hase and Birgit Stauber. In the dystopian world that follows Beukes-Meyer’s depiction of the real one, Kapewasha, who also stars as the film’s heroine, is a survivor of a deadly plague. Immersed in a life-saving return to her roots, her protagonist does what she must to survive in a beautifully shot short imagining the near end of a world razed by GMOs, unbridled consumption and the loss of tradition.During a short interval, the Warehouse Theatre is abuzz. The first two films’ cast and crew have taken the stage to respond to compliments and critiques and there is a palpable air of awe. “Made in Namibia.” The phrase repeats in the restroom, amidst the audience and at the bar in tones of incredulity, encouragement and pride. Namibia’s women directors have unequivocally arrived. Held on the shoulders of predecessors such as Oshosheni Hiveluah and Marinda Stein, the films’ directors present a united front and do not baulk in the telling of our stories. Even the funny ones. Garoes’ ‘The Date’ is a rare bird. A frivolous comedy about a blind date gone disastrous and with a twist you won’t see coming. Presenting a master class in engaging, well-paced dialogue driven scripts, Garoes’ film elicits laughter throughout, kudos and hearty applause.’Encore’, last and lingering, is Brockerhoff’s ode to the theatre. Swapping the sidesplitting for audience screams, the film transforms the well-known national theatre into a supernatural place of tragedy,purgatory and horror.Diverse, inspiring and with women at the centre and the helm, the films usher in a new school of local women film-makers intent on changing the game while vying for international audiences through the submission to festivals. The Warehouse Theatre’s lights go up and there is an instant air of celebration. The women have spoken. Our stories have been told in all their trauma, hilarity, creativity and thrilling flights of dark fantasy, and each one, though not perfect and pending detailed review, is commendable. Afterwards, the directors pose for a picture. Vibrant Von Hase, effortlessly cool Garoes, magnetic Kapewasha and feisty Brockerhoff. They’re a sight for sore eyes. An antidote to the ubiquitous cinematic male gaze and a promise. More women-led films as complex, varied and worthy as any that have come before them.