The Department of Economic Development Tourism and Traditional Affairs (EDTEA), The KZN Film Commission (KZNFilm), Tourism KZN (TKZN) and the City of Durban warmly welcomed our KZN Born and Bred star, Thuso Mbedu who plays the role of a soldier in the newly released international Movie; “The Woman King”.
The woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African kingdom of the Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Played by Oscar-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for the battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life- some things are worth fighting for. Thuso Mbedu plays the role of the young Nawi, who is part of the next generation of young warrior recruits.
The movie, was successfully launched in Ster-kinekor Cinema Gateway and was graced by industry leaders, stakeholders and proud fans of Thuso Mbedu’s incredible work and representation on international big screens.
KZNFilm COO, Jackie Motsepe said the KwaZulu Natal Film commission wanted to to celebrate KZN talent export and bring the film to KZN to ensure people get an opportunity to watch. This is in line with our ambition and what we endeavour to do, which is continuing to build a substantiable KZN Film industry, showcase KZN talent and Stories to the world. She said the story in the film brings forth powerful messages and brings a lot of elements of African pride and adds to the gender conversation and role of a woman in the African Society.
“It is indeed a day for celebration a real homecoming for Thuso. This movie brings great pride to us as it was shot in the Northern part of KwaZulu-Natal, Jozini. We have been taking the cast across KZN visiting schools and exploring great tourism offerings that our province has to offer, she Continued.
When asked how her experience was during the making of this film, Thuso responded by saying: “It was amazing, this is a story I wish I could have had growing up, this would have shaped me in so many ways and my thinking would totally be different. It was very cool building the characters from scratch especially going into something I knew about through stories and to actually live it out.
John Boyega who plays the role of King of adojie says he is appreciative of the whole experience, saying the discussion on slavery, and Gender based violence gave powerful messages and awareness to the audience and touches a lot of women in the African Continent and globally.
“The intention of Gina (Director) was to make this movie a connecting and a layered experience of trauma- this made the story impactful. None of this was just for show, this was about her (The Woman King Nanisca) actually healing and dealing with the monster in her dream, which made this story more powerful,” said Boyega.
The movie is out and available in Cinemas across the country.