Cape Maclear Film Festival brings music on board

The Cape Maclear International Film Festival has announced a major change in the line-up of its activities this year by adding music for its third edition of the event as organisers seek to attract more people to the film platform.

The festival has since unveiled a line-up of musicians who will perform during the event alongside its film programme scheduled for October 15 to 17 at Fat Monkey in Cape Maclear, Mangochi.

The line-up will feature local musicians Driemo, Black Missionaries Band, Keturah, Lucky Stars and Casino.

While many local film festivals have happened over the years, low patronage has marred the event,  forcing organisers to look for ways to attract audiences.

In an interview this week, the festival’s media and communications officer Edgar M’baluku said Malawians are yet to fully embrace film screenings and the opportunities they provide to filmmakers; hence, the need to explore ways to make the platforms more entertaining.

He said the inclusion of musicians is also linked to the festival’s decision to operate independently after previously riding on the back of the UMP Festival, which brings together music, film and other art forms.

“This is now an independent festival. So, we have to find ways of making it appealing to people while still maintaining our focus on film. Musicians have been included so they can spice up the event,” said M’baluku.

He said they see music and film as complementary art forms that can bring different audiences together without changing the identity of the festival.

“It’s a three-day festival and we are expecting different musicians to perform in between screenings just to give people a different experience at the film festival,” said M’baluku.

He said preparations for the event are at an advanced stage and the organisers are expecting to showcase local films including 16 Barz, Love and Hate, Sakaka, Fatsani and Apongozi series, among others.

The festival will also feature International films including Aisha by Samuel Sibanda Salatiel from Zambia, A Walk on the Wild Side by James Whitelaw from South Africa and Axis of Life by Golden Linden.

In a separate interview, filmmaker and festival ambassador Joyce Chavula said more work still needs to be done to build a sustainable audience for local films as public interest often peaks around premieres and fades afterwards.

She said the industry has not yet fully grasped the local audience, leaving gaps that need to be addressed through continued engagement rather than once-off conversations.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done. We have not really grasped the local audience, but it is not a one-time conversation,” she said.

Chavula said the inclusion of music will mainly help to attract people while gradually exposing them to other forms of art.

“This is to get people to appreciate that there is more to art” she said.

International performers, among them Evans Mapfumo from Zimbabwe, Erkez Hip-hop from Tunisia, Naghib Processor from Tanzania and Scorti Samuel from Nigeria are also on the list.

Now in its third edition, the festival provides a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work and for audiences to engage with local and international cinema.