Dark Beauty Movie: A Captivating Story of SA Youth

350

“Dark Beauty is a story of a South African youth who despite facing challenges from all sides – at home and in school refuses to give up but presses on to achieve lasting success…”

Youth month commemorations are in full swing in South Africa and what better way to remember the youth of 1976 – considering their heroic and unforgettable courage to challenge the apartheid regime- than to be inspired – profoundly placing the inspiration on the big screen – resulting in a must watch masterpiece, Dark Beauty.

The film is about Youth Empowerment, which is perfectly in line with the vision for youth month. 

In an exclusive interview with SA Positive News the Producer of the film Nompumelelo Nkabinde revealed that the storyline of the film -which is all about Youth empowerment is very imperative to uplift the spirits of the Youth.

“We believe that youth empowerment is vital if we must recover as a nation from the present challenges facing our nation such as unemployment and gender-based violence”, said Nompumelelo.

“Dark Beauty is a story of a South African youth who despite facing challenges from all sides at home and in school refuses to give up but presses on to achieve lasting success”.

“We felt the need to use this story as a way of encouraging our youths that no matter what they’re facing in life, they should never give up”.

Dark Beauty also speaks to parents; to the mothers and fathers on how they should love, guide and encourage their children.”

Producing a film in the South African diaspora is never smooth sailing.  Budget constraint is a challenge every filmmaker must endure.

Nompumelelo Nkabinde had this to say about how the Dark Beauty team overcame this heavy hurdle: “Producing Dark Beauty was not an easy task. The script was carefully written to communicate a message and inspire our people, while simultaneously giving them maximum entertainment. Putting together the cast and crew was another task, as the film was self-funded”.

“However, by God’s grace, we were able to shoot the entire film within two months, working only on weekends”.

“Postproduction took a few months, as we were faced with some challenges experienced on set due to lack of finance”.

“We’re thankful that the film is finally ready, and we are excited to inspire our Nation with this exciting drama.”

Nkabinde is adamant that even though they knocked on so many doors in an attempt to secure funding for the project – none of the doors opened but that didn’t derail the team in producing this breath-taking body of work.

“Financially, we had so many difficulties. Before filming, we submitted the film to DTI, NFVF and other companies asking for funding. No one funded us. We decided to use our own salaries to produce this film, understanding its importance and relevance today. And yes, with God’s help, we made it”, said Nkabinde.

The film is testament to the saying that ‘hard work does pay off’ as it’s already a resounding success.

This highly entertaining drama was selected in Silicon Valley Film Festival in California, USA, as well as in Sotambe Zambia for best feature. 

Speaking about these monumental moments, Nompumelelo Nkabinde said: “We were thankful for these selections, understanding that the movie was not funded. Being selected in these festivals meant so much to our cast and crew as it gave us a level of satisfaction that people out there love our work.”

As a woman in a male dominated industry, Nkabinde is a trailblazer of note – a pioneer in her own right.

SA Positive News asked the queen, who keeps securing the bag in all spheres of showbiz how she managed to reach the pinnacle in her illustrious career.

“I believe that God created them, Male and Female. So, I believe that women can as well make an impact in any field they choose, with no exceptions”.

“We have many examples of successful women producers in the South African film industry, and these all inspire and encourage me to push on”.

Nkabinde preaches authenticity and originality. “We don’t want to be Hollywood, we don’t want to be Bollywood, we want to be uniquely South African”.

“The mistake many film makers in Africa make today is trying to copy Hollywood. The truth is, we end up losing our uniqueness and originality when we try to imitate them. Watching African movies try to imitate Hollywood is shameful as we can never impress them if we are just trying to copy them”.

“On the contrary, let’s be original. Let’s tell African stories the African way, in excellence, for the world to watch and admire us the way we are.”

Nompumelelo Nkabinde

Concluding this eye-opening conversation with the film maestro, she had this to say to young directors/filmmakers who’d like to follow in her footsteps: “I advise them to produce films that inspire and educate our youth and communities, not films that will destroy young people more. We already have enough troubles to deal with as a nation. I also advise them to be patient, persistent and prayerful. Jesus said “with God, all things are possible.”

Dark Beauty is the best film for South African youth, parents, mothers, fathers, and families to watch in Cinemas this youth month. 

Every South African needs to watch Dark Beauty this youth month. 

The film boasts a star-studded cast which includes Limpopo Boy, Tinah Mnumzana, Sibongiseni Shezi, Matome Thoka and other famous actors. It will be released in Cinemas on the 23rd of June 2023.

Check out trailer on YouTube: Dark Beauty official trailer OR Dark Beauty Ster Kinekor.

You may visit their Facebook and Instagram pages as Njabulo Media.

Together, let’s build the Youth of South Africa!!!

By Sinenzolo Mondi – Nduku