New South African film spotlights royal battle between Bapedi blood brothers
Bogoshi Bjaka, a new film by Percy L Maboane, is making waves on the global movie circuit. The film was nominated for best film at the Hollywood International Golden Film Awards in Los Angeles on 17 August and made it to the finals. On 19 August it was again nominated at Crown Wood International Film Festival in Kokata, India, where it won two awards – for best feature film and best women filmmaker for producer Lizzy Moloto.
The film is a good-versus-evil drama about two blood brothers from a royal family who are at loggerheads over the chieftaincy. The conflict between Mothapo and Lerumo angers the ancestors and their gravely ill father, Chief Mothapo III. Lerumo seeks to take the throne forcefully and will destroy anyone who prevents him from succeeding his father. Will Lerumo succeed to take the throne by force or will the rightful heir sit on the throne?‘Bogoshi Bjaka’ focuses on the customs and traditions of the Pedi people from the Limpopo, northern Gauteng and northern Mpumalanga region. Sepedi, also referred to as Northern Sotho, is spoken by approximately 4,7 million people and is one of 11 official languages in South Africa.
The film features veteran South African actors Candy Moloi, and Charles ‘Big Boy’ Maja, both of whom passed away in July. It also stars Sipho Eric Ndlovu, David Mello and Innocent Sadiki.
“We are delighted that the film won an award for producer Lizzy Moloto in National Women’s Month,” says director Percy Maboane. “We are proud to share and celebrate the film’s success with South Africans, and we congratulate the cast and crew for making the country proud.”
Moloto says she was honoured that her first feature film to have represented the country internationally came back with two awards. “To receive this recognition signifies a job well done and I am grateful for the outstanding work done by our director, cast, crew, production, and post. I look forward to Mzansi’s support for the film.”
Moloto founded television and film production company LMOL in 2009, and it has produced a significant amount of content for local channels, including ‘Ditokelo’, ‘The Calling’, ‘Masheleng’, ‘Pushy Passion’, ‘Sisters’, and ‘Nyaope Gangsters’.
‘Bogoshi Bjaka’ will be distributed in South Africa by Indigenous Film Distribution.
