Springbok Captain's Siya and Rachel Kolisi and his wife continue to steal the hearts of many people with their boss moves. The power couple has crafted such an inspiring love story and we are here for it.
Rachel recently shared that they produced a film titled Africa In Me #MyStory and it has been selected to the open Africa Rising International Film Festival. Africa In Me #MyStory, is South African short film based on the stage production and it tackles the scourge of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.
The festival will place from 25 November to 28 November 28 2021 online and on-site in venues across Johannesburg.
“We seek to package African films for export to the global stage while being at the centre of driving change and being a motivating anchor that unearths authentic African stories,” said festival chair Lala Tuku, speaking at a virtual press roundtable.
“The films selected for this year’s edition celebrate our collective Africanness but in so doing are not tone-deaf to issues faced by everyday people on the continent,” she added.
In line with ARIFF’s vision of being a voice in film for change, some of the films selected make bold statements. “Our mandate as ARIFF is to raise social issues. That’s why we are opening the festival with a film like "We Are Dying Here" - a short South African film based on a stage production. Executive produced by Rachel and Siya Kolisi, the film is a poetic indictment of the prevalence of gender-based violence in South Africa,” stated festival director Ayanda Sithebe.
The films selected for screening at this year’s festival went through a meticulous vetting process led by Sihle Hlophe. “We are proud to present a wide array of films that celebrate African cinema and are aligned with our theme, Africa In Me #MyStory. We have films from more than 30 African countries (including Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya) as well as films from the African diaspora,” said Hlophe, adding that the festival sought out films featuring strong African voices, pleasing aesthetics, and social relevance.
This year’s festival will culminate with the screening of an LGBTQI+ centered film called “I Am Samuel''. Filmed over five years in Kenya, I Am Samuel is an intimate portrait of a Kenyan man balancing pressures of family loyalty, love, and safety and questioning the concept of conflicting identities. The film was banned by the Film Classification Board in Kenya.
“A hundred years from now, ARIFF wants to make sure that we’ll be able to look back at a glorious archive of impactful African stories told by storytellers with an authentically African point of view,” Tuku conclude
Rachel recently celebrated their daughters fourth birthday. She shared pictures of her when she was pregnant with the caption. "I didn’t post nearly enough when I was pregnant. Can’t believe my baby is 4 tomorrow."
