MBABANE – Local is lekker!
Local film ‘A Dream’ continues to gain popularity in South Africa, after winning the Local Is Lekker Award at the Mpumalanga International Film Festival (Miff).
Siphosethu Sibandze, the creative force behind the production said that this award is just another confirmation of the magic that they created with his team.
With its headquarters in Mbombela, the Mpumalanga International Film Festival is strategically located and easily accessible to filmmakers from all over the world. Mpumalanga offers prime locations for any shoot, from television commercials to movies. It also boasts perfect weather and climate conditions as well as solid infrastructure. Since its inception in 2013, MIFF has provided a platform for filmmakers to showcase their craft in an enabling environment. To date, the festival has shown 139 films, of which 89 were international. MIFF welcomes established filmmakers, independent producers, emerging filmmakers, students and new voices from South Africa, Africa and around the world. Festival selection gives MIFF permission to exhibit the selected work as part of the agreed festival programme and associated festival promotion, subject to the festival’s submission terms.
Sibandze said that this film was one project that taught him, he could tell an Eswatini story and the world would listen. “It’s award-winning, it has eight international festival screenings and this year it will screen again at the Waterloo Film Festival, Durban October 30,” he said. This recognition award highlights the creativity and dedication of local filmmakers contributing to the vibrant storytelling landscape of Eswatini. ‘A Dream’ (Liphupho) explores themes of Believing in your dreams, family support and working hard. “I’m most proud because it started with nothing, just a story, a crew that believed and the belief that our dreams deserve cinema. It proved to me and to other young filmmakers here, that it’s possible,” added Sibandze.
In 2020, Sibandze joined a local production crew as a boom operator, spending two years working behind the scenes and mastering the fundamentals of filmmaking. This hands-on experience shaped his development in scriptwriting and directing, culminating in his first professional acting role in the 2022 short film ‘Lifa Lami’.
In 2025, Sibandze directed the short film ‘Khumbini’ and continues to earn recognition in Southern Africa’s creative industries. With skills spanning directing, producing, acting, scriptwriting and editing, Sibandze is establishing himself as a rising and influential voice in African cinema.
Leave a comment