From Dancer to Filmmaker

Malcom Ndiweni is a 20-year-old aspiring filmmaker who has been involved in various artistic projects with the Geraldine Roche Drama (GRD) group since 2020.

He shared his journey of discovering his passion for film and animation and overcoming the challenges of learning new skills and pursuing his education.

Ndiweni joined GRD in November 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted many activities in the arts sector.

He was initially a dancer and an actor at Ihlathi High School, where he felt that arts were not taken seriously.

He met a friend called Michael Makatini, who connected him with Khaliphile Sibanda, the GRD Programme Coordinator.

By then, GRD was presenting Les Miserables, a musical that required singing skills.

Ndiweni said he found it challenging because he could not sing and thought maybe this was not his place.

However, Makatini encouraged him not to give up but to stay put and learn something. Sibanda then taught him how to sing, and Mazwie, the GRD editor, taught him how to act.

He was then given a minor character role in the Sound of Music, playing Rolf. He said he enjoyed the character as it was new and challenging to him, and the directors were supportive and accommodating.

From that day, Ndiweni said he became a good actor and a singer.

He participated in the drama competitions with the Roar group, and they scooped the number one spot. He also won an individual award for best-supporting actor.

Mazwie asked him to be part of the crew during the film festivals.

He was positioned behind the cinematographer and checking if the lighting was correct. He said it was a good experience as it was his first time seeing what happens behind the scenes. He started to be fascinated by filming, and Mazwie taught him how to do lighting and how to handle the camera.

After filming, Ndiweni followed Mazwie to the editing office to see how he puts the footage together to make a film.

He said Mazwie showed him the basics and gave him assignments on which to work. He even provided him with his own laptop so that he could enjoy full-time concentration on editing at home.

This gave him the experience to be able to develop his own projects and see how he had grown. As a direct result of this training, he carries out filming and editing for Zwangendaba Productions, a local media company.