The theatre production, featuring local actresses, Lerato Mvelase and Puleng Molebatsi, is set in a prison against the backdrop of the June 16, 1976 uprisings.

The theatre production, featuring local actresses, Lerato Mvelase and Puleng Molebatsi, is set in a prison against the backdrop of the June 16, 1976 uprisings.

 

Future film makers and aspiring industry leaders walk through the Black Eagle Cinema during the 2018 Youth Day Expo on Friday, 15 June. Future film makers and aspiring industry leaders walk through the Black Eagle Cinema during the 2018 Youth Day Expo on Friday, 15 June. The Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) created a fun-filled educational blockbuster experience for future film makers and aspiring industry leaders when the 2018 Youth Day Expo took place from Saturday, 9 June to Sunday, 27 June at the at the Nasrec Expo Centre.

This year’s Youth Day expo returned bigger and better during this Youth Month, with multiple-activities and over 130 exhibitors providing information on youth careers, jobs and work exposure.

The Youth Day expo forms part of commemoration of 42th anniversary of June 16 which coincides with the centenary of struggle stalwarts, former President Nelson Mandela and Mama Albertina Sisulu. The youth expo was part of the provincial government’s commitment to respond to the development of youth people in the province.

Exhibiting in Black Eagle Cinema, the GFC’s programme for the eight day expo featured film screenings, theatres, dialogues and a series of workshops hosted and facilitated by leading industry experts who provided learners with opportunities to acquire knowledge and professional skills so that they can understand the audio-visual industry.

The programme also offered emerging filmmakers and learners the fundamentals of filmmaking and guidance of getting started in the industry.

The Youth Expo was exciting for learners from Kenneth Masekela Secondary School, PJ Simelane High School and Mountainview High School, who attended a screening of the documentary “Winnie”, a film about late struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

The documentary, directed by Pascale Lamche, focuses on the struggle icon as one of the most misunderstood and intriguingly powerful contemporary female political figures.

Shai Adam, a teacher at Mountainview High School, with Grade 12 learner, Gift Mhlophe, after the screening of the documentary, ‘Winnie’.Shai Adam, a teacher at Mountainview High School, with Grade 12 learner, Gift Mhlophe, after the screening of the documentary, ‘Winnie’.For Shai Adam, a teacher at Mountainview High School, the screening was a good opportunity for his learners not only to gain an understanding into the film industry but for them to see the doors that are open to them. “I think now that they are aware of these opportunities they will better informed decisions about their futures,” Adam said.

“My learners are very excited about the opportunities in the film industry and screening of the Winnie documentary allowed them to see, firsthand, what they are studying in school. I think the learners will cherish the screening for the rest of their lives,” he said.

Grade 12 Mountainview High School learner, Gift Mhlophe, described her time at the Black Eagle Cinema as an amazing experience. “It has especially been amazing because we hardly get these experiences at our school. It has been a great opportunity and my fellow learners have been ecstatic about this trip,” she said.

“What I personally take out of this experience is the vast opportunities that are available for us as learners. It is great for us, especially as history students, to learn how we can tell stories about the people who were involved in our history,” Gift said.

Learners from M.H. Baloyi Secondary School and Florida Park High School had the opportunity to watch an exclusive theatre show titled, ‘Shades of Change,’ directed by veteran actor Jerry Mofokeng.

The theatre production, featuring local actresses, Lerato Mvelase and Puleng Molebatsi, is set in a prison against the backdrop of the June 16, 1976 uprisings.

Mofokeng, known for his role in the films Cry, the Beloved Country and Tsotsi, said that, as a director, he did not want to explain the play but hopes many young people watch it.

Veteran actor Jerry Mofokeng talks about the play Shades of Change.Veteran actor Jerry Mofokeng talks about the play Shades of Change.Mofokeng says he is more than excited having already seen so many youths come out to watch his play. “Many learners who are inclined to see theatre have not seen theatre. I am hoping that, once these learners have seen the play, a seed will be planted in their minds,” Mofokeng said.

“I hope the characters, dialogues and subject matters of this play will be remembered long in these learner’s memory and I hope the learners leave this theatre challenged,” Mofokeng he added.