SA movie rises on Netflix

MANZINI Zungu is close to tears.

His short film has just made it on to one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world.

Shaka Inkosi YamaKhosi, which had been in the making for 15 years, is now being streamed on Netflix, and Zungu simply cannot contain his excitement.

“Even though we began the production of Shaka three years ago, the vision was born over 10 years earlier.

“And now to share this vision with the global audience on a renowned platform is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There are no words to describe the euphoria and satisfaction I’m feeling.”

The award-winning work is a short animation film about King Shaka and his empire.

Zungu, a businessman and director of Amazulu Football Club, served as executive producer and director of the film. He birthed the film to inspire children around the world to delve within themselves and find the hero that lies within – a notion that he himself learnt as a young boy.

“The story is about uShaka kaSenzangakhona, founder of the Zulu nation and one of the greatest monarchs of our continent. The story of Shaka has conflicted historians and academics. There are so many variations and accounts on the character.

“This has resulted in Shaka and his legacy being shrouded in mysticism. What was important for me with this project was to focus on the characteristics of Shaka. To show him as a human being who faced many adversities from a young age to his adult years, in the same way we face our own challenges

on a daily basis.”

Zungu, CEO of Pacinamix, says he worked closely with several traditional experts and custodians in developing the film’s music.

“The story of Shaka also emphasises … the decisions we choose to make in the context of our situations and that if we can find the hero within ourselves then we too can be destined for our own greatness.”

The film has already won three global awards, and been shown at film festivals around the world.

Zungu said having the film stream on Netflix was the “icing on the cake”.

“The story of Shaka is a global story and it deserves global recognition and appreciation. The validation of this is Netflix putting our film on their platform.”