Cape Town - Local filmmaker and producer Weaam Williams is ready to host a second community screening of her film The Rise.
The international award-winning screenwriter, director, actor and producer previously held a community screening of the film at the Islamia Auditorium earlier this month.
Williams, with husband Nafia Kocks, a cinematographer and co-producer, has worked on the feature documentary for five years.
The Rise depicts the story of Bo-Kaap through the intersecting journeys of four protagonists, who share their story of community, identity, and access to land before, during, and after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as community activism and protest against gentrification, the filmmaker said.
The community screening will take place at the Bo-Kaap Museum on September 2, at 2pm.
“There are moments when the community were not victorious against developers, but I really would like them to reflect on their bravery and unity, and I hope The Rise will inject a new sense of energy and passion to continue our fight for the heritage of Bo-Kaap,” Williams said.
“The film is cine-verte inspired and was shot in a very intimate way, with few set-up scenes. It is a natural unfolding ‘fly on the wall’ type of film.”
Williams was recently appointed as the creative director for the inaugural Hollywood African Film Festival on the theme “Imagine Africa” by the Pan African Chamber of Commerce.
With nearly 20 years in the industry, Williams’s work has received international acclaim from countries such as France, Italy, the US, UK, Germany, Romania and Belgium.
In the US, Williams received an award from American filmmaker Spike Lee.
Attendee at the previous screening Shaykh Dawood Terblanche said:
“The documentary, The Rise, showcases historical Bo-Kaap, the last bastion, oldest living urban Muslim community in South Africa. The Rise captures the heart of Bo-Kaap as a closely knitted community and highlights its continuous struggles and challenges.”
Tickets can be purchased at R100 online at https://tribalalchemy.carrd.co/#work