‘KAPANA’ RECIPIENT OF THREE INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

‘Kapana’, one of the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO)’s films won three international awards in March 2022.

‘Kapana’ is the recipient of the prestigious 2022 Free to be me HIVOS Award at the Roze Filmdagen LGBT film festival in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Award was handed-over to the film director, Dr Philippe Talavera, during a special screening of the film in Amsterdam on Saturday 12 March 2022 in the presence of actor Simon Hanga.

This is a prestigious award. For the 5th year HIVOS handed out the Free To Be Me -award to one of the films selected for the festival. This is a prize for a film that contributes to LGBTQ+ acceptance and visibility in a country where there is little room for diversity. The award provides an additional platform for this type of production and expresses the festival and HIVOS appreciation to each director. 'Kapana' follows in the footstep of prestigious films such as 'Rafiki' (Kenya) and 'Valentina' (Brazil).

The following week ‘Kapana’ won best actors for Adriano Visagie and Simon Hanga at the Indepentarn Film Festival in Couffouleux, France. This is a festival in Southern France that celebrates films independently produced. The selection included films from France, Spain, Roumania, etc. Dr Talavera attended the screening of ‘Kapana’ and received the award on behalf of the actors.

The same weekend ‘Kapana’ won the Audience Award at the Black Film Summit in Naperville, Illinois, USA. The Black Film Summit is a gathering of people who love film and want to celebrate black achievement in the cinematic arts.

‘Kapana’ is the first Namibian queer film. Produced and directed by Philippe Talavera, it is first and foremost a love story. Written by award-winner Senga Brockenhoff and Mikiros Garoes, the film stars Adriano Visagie (Best Actor Southern Africa, Sotigui Awards 2019) and Simon Hanga. with a supporting cast including Mikiros Garoes (winner Best newcomer Namibian Theatre and Film Award 2019), Dawie Engelbrecht (winner Best male Actor Namibian Theatre and Film Award 2014), veteran actresses Felicity Philander and Elize de Wee, Foreversun Haiduwah (‘the third will’), Albertina Hainane (‘the third will’) and newcomer Chanwrill Vries.

‘We felt overwhelmed with joy upon hearing the news of the Awards’ Said Talavera. ‘It means a lot to all of us. I say ‘We’ because I speak on behalf of the cast and crew – it is really a team effort, from the writers to the actors and crew. They were all incredibly brave to embark on this project – particularly the actors who are the face of the film. I applaud their effort, their commitment and their passion.’

Locally ‘Kapana’ has been screened this year in Walvis Bay, Eenhana and Outapi since the beginning of the year.