Masterclass for Nam’s female filmmakers
MultiChoice Namibia teamed up with famed South African director, producer and KykNET commissioning editor, Muneera Sallies, to host a masterclass for women in the local film and TV industry, themed Owning your professional space.Muneera has been part of the MultiChoice Namibia local content project Ombura, as a fiction commissioning editor, assisting with script writing and casting this year.
Muneera is an award-winning filmmaker who has been a part of the arts for many years, making significant contributions to the film and television industry. She began her career at an early age as an actress, having taken part in many theatre, television, and film productions. She was born and raised in Cape Town and made her big screen debut at the age of 15 when she was the lead in the documentary film Through The Eyes Of My Daughter. A year later she played the lead actress in the feature film Don’t Touch. Both films received rave reviews and awards at various local and international film festivals.
At the masterclass Muneera encouraged the participant to tell stories that move, inspire, touch and provoke their audience to engage with themselves internally and externally, transporting and living within the space and world created on screen.
She also highlighted how important it is for filmmakers to know and embrace their roots to capture the essence of Namibian culture.
“Learn from every environment you step into,” Muneera said. “Break the hierarchy. It starts with us.”
Other topics discussed at the masterclass, were boundaries, gender pay gaps, safety on sets, the importance of networks, and supporting our local communities.
“Create the ethos of how you run your productions,” Muneera said. “It’s important to set a positive tone when on set. Talent and skill will only get you so far. It is everything else that gets you there – hard work, hours, and owning your space.”