HASTINGS HAGO GOLOSI – Stories told through a camera lens

Growing up in my home village with my grandparents shaped me a lot as a storyteller. Their unique way of narrating stories inspired me to start creating stories at a very young age. Even though most of them were fiction, they made me believe they were real. Novels from different best writers like Tiyambe Zeleza, John Grisham, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, and Chinua Achebe have also contributed to the growth of my career. These writers installed something in me as a storyteller. Their style and creativity enhanced my creativity. Fast forward to 2015, I became one of the African storytellers, telling my stories through the camera lens. Starting my career as a stage drama actor, I was later introduced to Music video production, Television commercials, and weddings. In 2016, I started producing and directing documentary films for organizations like United Nations Development Program, World Bank, UNICEF, and Save the Children.

The film industry in my country is still in its infant stage. As a country, we are still struggling to produce films because of resources, connections, and knowledge in film production. For instance, only one Malawian movie “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” has made it on Netflix. As an upcoming young filmmaker from one of the poorest countries in the world, and a country where there is little progress despite the British government introducing the film industry in the 1930s. Sadly, our country doesn’t have a cinema where people can go and watch movies with their families and friends, this affects the local film producers to make films.

Malawi is a country full of potential but what lacks is the knowledge and exposure to reach the maximum potential. Our film industry is getting shape though at a slow pace, trying to reach the levels of the fellow big industries like Hollywood, Nollywood, Bollywood, and South African industry. The only delay Malawi has is the lack of film training institutions. Unlike our fellow countries, the art is there, people are born with it but to harness it now needs a good approach.

Apart from the knowledge and lack of resources, our government does not fully support art especially the film industry. We need film associations, arts organizations to be active, we need policies and regulations to guide the birth of the industry. Malawi has beautiful scenery for shooting films, talent, and the most important thing is the stories. Malawi has a lot of good untold stories.

For the past five years, I have trained myself to become one of the best documentary’s filmmakers in my country. I have so far produced documentary films about poverty reduction, girl’s empowerment, youth entrepreneurship, climate change, and agriculture. I am known for my debut feature-length film Fatsani ‘Tale of survival’ and I am good at producing, directing, writing, concept developing, and a film fixer.