Two fantastic South African movies – “Ayanda” and “Tell Me Sweet Something” wowed the audience at the just concluded RomAfrica Film Festival.
Ayanda, played by newcomer Fulu Mughovani, goes on a journey of self-discovery in this captivating movie set in the bustling and colourful Johannesburg suburb of Yeoville.
Ms Mughovani brilliantly brings to life this young girl who is stubborn but ambitious and determined to do whatever it takes to save her late father’s garage.
The movie offers the viewer a glimpse of what life is in a South African suburb and what can be achieved through perseverance.
Talk of love and humour, risk and reward, tragedy and triumph – you have all that in “Ayanda”. The movie was produced by Terry Pheto, an award winning South African actress and producer.
Ms Pheto said it was an honour and privilege to have “Ayanda” screened at RomAfrica Film Festival.
It was equally lovely to watch “Tell Me Sweet Something”, a new South African romantic comedy feature film at the RomAfrica Film Festival.
Directed by Akin Omotoso, “Tell Me Sweet Something” is a charming and moving film set in Johannesburg.
It is an inspiring story of Moratiwa Vokwana (played by Nomzamo Mbatha), an aspiring writer who runs a bookstore in the city.
Many things seem not to work in Moratiwa’s life. Her bookstore is not performing well. While she was young, she wrote a book and won many global prizes. Now that she needs another successful book, she has a writer’s block and can’t write anything.
And that’s not all. Moratiwa is also unlucky in love. All the men she has fallen in love with end up walking away and she is beginning to lose faith in men.
Luckily, Moratiwa’s life changes drastically when she meets and falls in love with the unlikeliest candidate in the world, Nat (played by Maps ‘Masego’ Maponyane).
Moratiwa and Nat seem to have nothing in common. She loves books but he is a model who has never read a book in his life.
The only thing they have in common is the need and desire to be loved. They end up becoming romantically involved but the questions that keep haunting the viewer are: is this love genuine and how will it end? The answers can only be found by watching “Tell Me Sweet Something” and enjoying this latest masterpiece from South Africa produced by Robbie Thorpe.
By Stephen Ogongo Ongong’a
Some of the pictures taken at the South African Embassy, Rome 
