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Vusi Kunene (left) on set

Jonathan Mbiriyamveka Entertainment Reporter
“ISIDINGO” and former “Generations” star Vusi Kunene arrived yesterday in Harare to attend the four-day Zimbabwe International Film Festival which ends on Saturday. The charismatic actor was met at the Harare International Airport by ZIFF ambassador Munya Chidzonga and other Zimbabwean filmmakers.

“I am happy to be in Zimbabwe. It’s my first time to be in Zimbabwe and I am looking forward to a great festival,” he said.

Besides Munya, other festival ambassadors include Star FM Breakfast Club co-host Comfort Mbofana and newscaster Demetria Hamandishe.

This year’s festival is running under the theme “Retrospective – Looking Back With Independent Eyes”.

Kunene is a protagonist in one of the festival films “Kini & Adams”, which will première as a main feature tonight at ZIFF hub.

Zimbabwean actors and actresses are sure to learn a thing or two from Kunene, popularly known as Jack Mabaso in “Generations” Season 1 to SABC1 viewing audiences and as Paul in “Jacob’s Cross” Season 3, Vuyani in “Yizo Yizo” Season 2 and Jefferson Sibeko in “Isidingo”.

According to TVSA, Kunene was born in Meadowlands, north of Soweto in Johannesburg, on April 12, 1966.

“He was born on Friday the 13th, but one of the nurses thought this was bad luck and changed it to the 12th. Vusi discovered his acting abilities at the Shell Road to Fame School of the Arts, which was set up to assist contestants in preparation for the auditions.

“In 1991, Vusi decided to pursue acting as a career and registered at the Wits School of Drama, for a Degree in Dramatic Art. There he got the opportunity to perform in numerous student stage dramas, including ‘The Hill’, where he was spotted by his future agent Moonyeenn Lee.

“As a student at Wits School of Drama, he was cast in three television films, ‘Drumbeats’, directed by Jurgen Shaderburg; ‘The Line’, directed by Brian Tilley for Channel Four; and the mini-series ‘Rhodes’, directed by David Drury for the BBC.

“He was also cast in three feature films including the role of Reverend Msimango in ‘Cry the Beloved Country’, directed by Darryl Roodt.

He was awarded an M-Net All Africa Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Zimbabwe-Southern African Film Festival award for Best Performance for his role as Reverend Msimango.

“After graduating, he landed a role in ‘The Coloured Museum’ directed by Itumeleng Motsikoe for the Market Theatre.

“His television career also developed. In 1996 he was cast in ‘Homelands’ directed by Neal Sundstrom and in 1997 he appeared in ‘Deafening Silence’ directed by Ettienne de Villiers, both for SABC Television.

“In 1998 he was cast in the drama series ‘Justice for All’ directed by Peter Goldsmid, for which he won an Avanti award for

“He was nominated for an NTVA award for Best Actor for his role of Daniel Mofokeng in ‘Homelands’, and was nominated for the same award three years in a row (2002-2004) for his role as Jack Mabaso in ‘Generations’.

“In 1996 he was cast in two feature films – ‘Fools’ directed by Ramadan Suleman, and ‘Kini and Adams’ (in which he played the lead role of Kini), directed by Idrissa Ouedraogo for Framework, Zimbabwe”.

The presence of Kunene brings back to life the festival which failed to take place last year due to logistical and financial constraints faced by the trust.

A new Board of Trustees was appointed in February this year with a dynamic team that set out to revive the trust and its programmes, starting with ZIFF.