THE BORDERLINE CAST AND CREW CELEBRATE SOTAMBE AWARD

Cast and crew of The Borderline, a Zambian story of love, betrayal and crime, have celebrated receipt of the prestigious trophy for Best Feature Film at the 7th Sotambe Film Festival.

The quirky physical trophy was received in Lusaka following a virtual awards announcement in Kitwe last month.

The Zambian feature film, directed by Dr Peter Langmead, won the best feature film award out of 12 nominees from across Southern Africa.

I am thrilled to win this award. Making a film is a very difficult task and involves lots of very talented people, actors, film crew, people working in post-production; many people are involved in making a film, said Dr Langmead.

Artist and producer Moddy Muponisi announced The Borderline as the 2020 best feature film winner during the awards ceremony, which was held virtually.

I hope that the film industry will continue to progress in Zambia in the way it has done, as represented by Sotambe. It's great to win this award; I am so happy. Thank you so much from myself and all the crew and cast who were involved in making the production, added Dr Langmead.

Due to limits on social gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic, the acting and entertainment industry had come to a complete halt globally as artists and performers lost access to most of their audience, acting studios and venues for performances for much of the year.

Dr Langmead noted that the pandemic has hit the entertainment industry particularly hard, citing closures of movie theatres, production studios, and the cancellation of major entertainment events.

He however, thanked the Sotambe Awards organising team for their proactive initiative to host the awards virtually despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Sotambe Documentary Film and Arts Festival, co-founded by Martina Mwanza and Daniel Mwale, aims to educate and raise awareness of social issues through film and arts.

The Zambian film industry is growing rapidly and the Sotambe film festival aims to promote upcoming filmmakers while establishing the country as a hub for film-making across the Southern African region.

The Borderline was also selected for the Festival International du Film Panafricain (FIFP) in Cannes, France, Best Trailer in the Rome Independent Prisma Awards in Italy, and was in the official selection for the International Film Festival of Detective Film and TV Programs in Moscow.

The film tells a tragic story of love, betrayal and crime in a riverside village that is terrorised as three brothers who seek the truth about the childhood trauma that changed the course of their lives.

The motion picture pays homage to film noir - and believed to be the first of the genre to be produced in Zambia. Film noir (or dark film) is a style of movie characterised by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace, exemplified by Hollywood crime dramas during the Hays Code Era of 1934 to 1968.

The Borderline is the second feature film after Damyna The Musical to be produced by Langmead and Baker, a Zambia-based media and film production house based in the Lusaka capital.

Damyna, Zambia's first musical drama, was released in 2016. It was screened at the Festival International du Film PanAfricain in France, where lead actress Josephine Kachiza won the Dikalo (2017) award for best actress.

The Borderline was shot on location in Lusaka, Chisamba, and the Lower Zambezi, with a local cast and crew directed by long-term resident Dr Peter Langmead and supported by renowned lighting cameraman, Denis Borrow, as Director of Photography, with assistant directors including Kalenga Mwansa and Tozya Botah.

Mr Borrow is known for movies such as Superman, The Queen at 80, Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film, Piers Morgan On , and William & Kate: A Royal Engagement.

The lead roles of The Borderline are played by talented actors Dixon Mumba and Mutinta Marie. Other talented actors included Moses Zulu, Tom Chiponge, Samuel Kanema, Sikwe Siamulonga and award-winning actress Nancy Handabile, who is well known for her exceptional performances in Love Games and Zuba.

The Borderline trailer can be viewed at https://youtu.be/4X3EcjEAFCI

Watch The Borderline online at https://youtu.be/rSJRB_F2tME

Support Zambian filmmaking.

Ends

About Langmead & Baker

Langmead & Baker is a Zambia-based media and communications company with a long track record of producing engaging film, video, audio, photographic and written material under its own label and for clients across a wide range of sectors.

It has produced two feature films: Damyna the Musical and The Borderline, showcasing the talents of local cast and crew under the direction of veteran writer and director Dr Peter Langmead.

For media inquiries please contact

Gillian Langmead at Langmead & Baker Ltd

+260 979 060705

info@langmead.com