Zimpapers Logo

• Shooting begins next week

• International actors arrive today

Moses Matanda

Godwin Muzari Entertainment Editor
Warplanes will hover over mountains in Chinhoyi and gunshots will echo in the dense forests on the fringes of the Mashonaland West Capital in a “repeat” of the Chinhoyi Battle.

Fear not. This will not be a real battle but filming of upcoming action movie “Chinhoyi 7” that is based on the historic battle of 1966.
The shooting of the film begins on Monday and more than 100 local and foreign actors will participate in a production meant to salute the gallant freedom fighters that fired the first shots of the Second Chimurenga.

The project is a joint venture between the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and Honde Valley Television that is based in Canada.
The ZDF yesterday confirmed their participation in the movie and announced that international actors coming for the film will arrive in the country today.
The actors include Julia Shaw from Britain, Mori Miyuki from Japan as well as Cameron Morton, Greg Brown and Cynthia Stone (all from Canada).

They will join many other local actors in Concession on Monday for a three-day shoot before the crew moves to Harare for some office scenes. Most of the local actors in the movie are new faces with Albert Nyathi and Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave being among the few popular figures in the cast.

The actual battlefield part will be shot from October 2 to 7 in Chinhoyi and one of the filmmakers, Tawanda Sarireni, said the location of the scene will resemble a real war zone.

“The film will be shot in more than 10 places in the country but the main scenes of the real battle will be shot in Chinhoyi,” said Sarireni.
“We have located a village in Concession where we will begin with scenes involving the ‘masses’ because the film intends to portray most facets of the liberation struggle. Different locations will portray different events of the war.”

After Concession, Harare and Chinhoyi scenes, the crew is expected to visit places like Nyanga, Honde Valley, Vumba, and Victoria Falls. Some scenes will be set in Bulawayo, Matopos, Hwange and Domboshava and the shooting will stretch for more than a month.

“Chinhoyi 7” is a brainchild of Honde Valley Television director Moses Matanda who is based in Canada.
Matanda is expected in the country on Sunday ahead of the production.

In an earlier interview with The Herald Entertainment the filmmaker said his film was inspired by the need to show the world the history of our liberation struggle from our own narrative.

“In many cases, the history of Zimbabwe is very Anglo-centric and biased. It shows the supremacy of whites over black people.
“It portrays black Zimbabweans as barbaric and as a people stealing land from white people. This is incorrect and I am willing to share the true history of Zimbabwe with the world through film,” Matanda said.

“The film also seeks to honour Zimbabwean liberation war heroes who are still depicted as terrorists by white media houses. I am willing to show people what the war veterans went through. Freedom was never free; it was paid for with what can never be replaced.

“This fact alone should humble us all. Let’s honour and respect our men and women that fought for the country. A younger generation of Zimbabweans born after independence in 1980 still has to be taught a lot about our war and independence.”

Matanda said the movie was a starting point of more projects in the pipeline that are meant to revisit important events of our history.
“I chose the Chinhoyi Battle because it was the first in Second Chimurenga.  I intend to shoot more war movies of battles that took place across Zimbabwe.
“I want to sit down with war veterans and listen to their stories, then shoot movies based on what they say.”

Matanda could not disclose the budget for the movie. He has been in filmmaking for many years.
He acted in “Call of Duty” as a Russian Soldier and American Pilot.

He was also lead actor for discovery channel TV series “The Real Prison Break” as Otis Blant and is in a TV series “Battlefield” which is still in production in addition to many other film roles.

“Chinhoyi 7” mirrors an important part of the history of the liberation of Zimbabwe.
On April 28, 1966 seven freedom fighters that had entered the country from Zambia were intercepted by Rhodesian Forces in Chinhoyi and a battle erupted.

At the site that is now Mashonaland West Provincial Heroes’ Acre, the freedom fighters namely David Guzuzu, Arthur Maramba, Christopher Chatambudza, Simon Chingozha Nyandoro, Godfrey Manyerenyere, Godwin Dube and Chubby Savanhu fired the first shots of the Second Chimurenga.

The seven were attacked by an army with jet bombers and helicopter gunships but they held the forces for the whole day until they ran out of ammunition and were all killed.