… as Esther Beukes Features in Talents Durban & Scores FAN Board Membership
Believe in your idea and don’t give up. So says MultiChoice Talent Factory alum and filmmaker Esther Beukes who has two reasons to celebrate.
Windhoek, June 27 –Esther will officially participate in the 17th edition of Talents Durban for her series ‘The Mind of Alkebulan’ in July, while enjoying her new role as the Filmmakers Association of Namibia (FAN)’s programme director in the newly appointed board.
“On behalf of MultiChoice Namibia, I would like to extend my congratulations to Esther Beukes, one of the first Namibian students to graduate in the MTF programme since its inception, for her efforts,” said MultiChoice Namibia Managing Director, Roger Gertze.
“MTF’s aim is to produce the next generation of storytellers who can grow Africa’s creative industry into bustling economic hubs, and Esther is proof of our commitment to meet the needs of an ever-growing African film industry.”
Esther will be headed to Talents Durban, a South African-based talent development programme, which takes place during the Durban FilmMart from 19 to 22 July 2024. The sessions are expected to involve strategic collaboration efforts for rising African film professionals and will be held under the theme ‘African Visions Unleashed: From Disruption to Accountability’. Inclusive of participants from 15 African countries, the Durban FilmMart shared that 499 applications were received, and Esther made the cut.
The director feels “deeply honoured” to be selected for both roles and said Talents Durban is perfect opportunity to hone her series – a collection of inspiring short films based on characters who battle various forms of spiritual and mental health.
As a FAN board member, Esther hopes to create networking opportunities for aspiring filmmakers and overall, support the Namibian film industry.
Her recent work includes ‘Miss Understood’, a touching award-winning film based on a librarian who suffers from mental illness, which simultaneously debuted at MultiChoice Namibia and Zambia’s Sotambe Film Festival in 2022.
Across the border, Esther has previously extended her skills towards one of Zambia’s longest running series ‘Zuba’, where she worked as an assistant director and associate producer after her stint at MTF.
Currently, the filmmaker is working tirelessly on MultiChoice Namibia’s second phase of the local content project ‘Ombura’.
“We wish Esther the best as she taps into the knowledge of her fellow filmmakers in Durban, develops her anthology series and juggles her new role,” concluded Gertze.
African Youth Newspaper
