|
|
Botswana: Khama Among VIPs At Film's Premiere
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
15 April 2008
Posted to the web 15 April 2008
Maureen Odubeng
The much anticipated The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency film, which had its first premiere in London, finally reached Gaborone.
The film's Botswana premiere was last Friday at the New Capitol Cinema, mostly catering for the country's creme de la creme.
First to view the film was President Ian Khama, his Vice President Mompati Merafhe, two former presidents and their spouses, Festus Mogae, and Ketumile Masire, and Members of Parliament (MPs), including cabinet, just to mention a few. Speaking before the screening of the movie, the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Kitso Mokaila, justified the government's decision to fork out about P35 million (US$ 5 million) towards the making of the film, saying supporting initiatives such as this one has many benefits for the nation.
"The making of the movie brought many people, including celebrities, to Botswana for the first time. This has enabled these people to experience the 'sounds and sights' of Botswana. In my opinion, they will become goodwill ambassadors for our country. I have ever since heard nothing but positive statements about our country from those who participated in the making of the movie. We have already received reports that testimonies by, among others, the lead actress, Jill Scott (Mma Ramotswe) have done wonders to publicise Botswana," Mokaila said.He said it is his belief that the investment made by government in deciding to co-sponsor the movie will pay off handsomely in terms of selling Botswana in major tourism source markets.
"As the movie was shot entirely in Botswana, it gives us an opportunity to showcase and market our tourism produce world wide. It gives the viewer a glimpse of Botswana's natural beauty and its pristine wilderness," he noted.
He added that the making of the film also tapped into local talent and exposed many aspiring young Batswana to the film industry."During the filming of the movie, no fewer than 1,250 Batswana were temporarily employed as cast, crew, and extras. The producers are planning to produce more movies on the book series and we expect more Batswana to be employed when that happens. Furthermore, the legacy of the film, especially the set, will continue to attract many tourists to our country," he said.It is reported that the movie has already generated about P18 million of publicity in print media alone, and during its premiere in London on March 23, the film attracted 6.3 million viewers in the United Kingdom (UK) alone.All is not lost for many Batswana who did not get a chance to view the film during its premiere over the weekend. Mokaila told the gathering that negotiations are at an advanced stage for a free one off screening of the film on Botswana Television (Btv).
|
Mokaila asked those who attended the premiere to stand and observe a moment of silence in remembrance of the director of the movie, Anthony Minghella, who died last month.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
