Botswana actors for the big stage
Gasebalwe Seretse | Thursday October 17, 2013 15:19
He told Showbiz that he plans to shoot an action adventure martial arts feature titled Blood Brothers with a condition that it must give upcoming Botswana actors active roles. 'The movie starts in Maun and ends in Los Angeles.
We are at the advanced stages of roping in a couple of big names, who I can't mention right now until the deal is signed. It is in this movie that I have made it a condition that up and coming Batswana actors like one Advent Monyatsiwa, Donald Molosi and others be given speaking roles, and a chance to shine on the big screen,' he said. Before the martial arts project, he said he will shoot his third film entitled Ironic. The film is a psychological thriller about a woman who kills her boyfriend thinking he was a crazed stalker.
Recently, Mafate released a book about his boarding school life entitled, Memories Of Lotsane: The Chronicles Of An African Boarding School. His first novel Kahuru: The Making Of An African Legend was published in 2001. Three years later he published When The Cobra Strikes, which was subsequently made into the movie Black Cobra and was released by Lionsgate Films. Black Cobra has been shown in South America and parts of Asia though mostly on TV. Mafate said that lately, he has been receiving calls from people in Botswana who have seen the movie. He believes the movie has been shown on DStv.
He said that he has met a good number of Hollywood stars and worked with a few of them. 'I have not worked with many so-called 'big' Hollywood names but I have met many of them. Actually, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who is well-known and has a face you can never forget, played 'Goro Tanaka' in my movie Black Cobra. It was a momentous privilege to meet the man and work with him. I would do that over and over again if given the chance,' he asserted. Mafate said some of the popular stars he has met include Quinton Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Wendell Pierce, John G. McGinley, Sharon Stone, Jackie Chan, Brad Pitt, Ethan Hawke, Michelle Rodriguez and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
'Believe it or not, I met and shook hands with the late Tupac Shakur, and many more. One thing people should understand is that even though these people are celebrities, and big in their own right, they are just regular people like you and me, their work just happens to put their faces in front of millions. I had to learn that quickly living in Southern California,' he explained.
The unassuming Mafate said his latest book, Memories Of Lotsane: The Chronicles Of An African Boarding School is one of his best works ever.
'This is one of the best writings I have ever done thus far because I was able to relive my teenage years. One memory unpeeled another and it felt as if I had gone back in time. We all have a story to tell, particularly of our younger selves, you remember the class clown, the over achievers, the drama queens and all that; and it was a real pleasure reliving those experiences. As a matter of fact a six-part TV series is in the works, and I will keep you posted on that,' said Mafate.
He intends to visit Botswana in the near future to promote his works. He said the film and publishing industry in Botswana has potential to grow because of modern technology. 'You know the information age has made things much easier and brought the world closer together. It is easier now to shoot movies and market them than it was just 10 years ago, and as Batswana, we have got to realise this. You do not have to seek that $10 million deal in order to shoot your movie, and if your movie is not released by the major studios, that does not mean that people will not want to see it. We are all suckers for a great story no matter what format; look at the Nigerian film industry or Nollywood as it is known, and I am certain you will agree with me. It is examples such as these that we need to follow in order to improve our film industry.
'The same goes for publishing; you do not have to sign a three-book deal with say Macmillan or Random House in order to be a success; you can write an e-book and be a great success without breaking a sweat. We have so much talent in Botswana and the moment we realise that it needs to be exploited the better,' he said.