MBABANE — Local film A Dream (Liphupho), written and produced by Eswatini actor and filmmaker Siphosethu Sibandze, has achieved an international milestone by winning the Best Screenplay award at the second edition of the Waterloo Film Festival, held in Durban, South Africa.
Sibandze departed Eswatini on Thursday, October 29, to represent the nation at the three-day festival, which ran from Friday to Sunday.
‘A Dream (Liphupho)’ has screened in commercial cinemas and schools across Eswatini. Internationally, the film has travelled to several festivals and earned two awards prior to its victory in Durban.
Reflecting on the experience, Sibandze highlighted the emotional impact of seeing the film resonate with international audiences.
“Attending the Waterloo Film Festival has been a great success, I was able to connect and network with filmmakers from around the world. The Q and A sessions were very special and motivational watching your film on a big screen and having people tell you how deeply it moved them emotionally truly melted my heart,” he said.
Despite the film’s growing global recognition, Sibandze spoke about the financial hurdles local creatives face when taking their work abroad. Unlike international counterparts who benefit from government-backed arts funding, Sibandze relied on personal savings and private support to make the trip possible.
“The most painful thing I went through was not being able to get the right support from the Department of Arts and Culture to go and represent my work and my country at major international events. In other countries, dedicated structures exist to support artists traveling abroad,” he said.
The filmmaker extended appreciation to Tribe Studios and Genesis Ekucaleni Media, whose financial contributions supplemented his personal savings and made the festival journey achievable. Sibandze described the festival experience as a platform for professional growth, offering key insights into global filmmaking practices and distribution dynamics.
With three awards now attached to its name, ‘A Dream (Liphupho)’ demonstrates the potential of Eswatini’s film industry and the need for structured institutional funding to support local talent on the world stage.
