Thajane released his second movie

Local author and producer, Mr Kopano Isaac Thajane, has released his second DVD titled The Hostess.

It was launched at Khutsa-Fa Guest House on September 8.

In an exclusive interview with The Tembisan recently, he said that his latest offering addresses issue like teenage pregnancy and other social ills in society.

He said the main character is a teenager who was forced to look after her younger sister after her parents passed on, and had it tough until she lost the fight for survival.

The Thaba-Nchu (Free State) born and bred author said he has always been keen on story telling through different media platforms.

When growing up, he was inspired by former radio and television writer Khotso Nkhato.

Mr Thajane came to Tembisa in 1993. He said his perspective on what is possible within the mass media and acting were broadened when he visited several broadcast houses where he met renowned writers and directors.

Like most township youth, he started acting in drama and performing on local stages. He was a member of the Faith Mission Church, which had an open-minded congregation towards drama performance.

Together with a group of teenagers, he started a drama group called Maokeng Drama Family. The group performed at the Windybro Theatre in 1998.

He further worked with Lucky Legodi, popularly known as Bra Biza, on the small screen. He was later drafted into Mr Legodi’s project which was called Wathintha Bafazi.

“I knew that Tembisa had good and talented actors who only needed opportunities. So, I thought about writing a script that will be based in Tembisa. This is how ‘Matlakala’ was born, my first movie. It was a concept born out of a spiritual consciousness of how human greatness can be choked by bad naming,” he added.

He owns Bubbling Film Production, which produced all his films. He also has a youth drama group called Kopano Youth Upgrading, which practices and performs at the Moses Molelekwa Art Centre from Monday to Friday.

“We hope to work closely with the local department of Arts, Culture, and Recreation in the near future. We hope to see more people starting their own film productions and unearthing talented actors. We thank everyone who supports locally produced films. It encourages us to continue with our art,” he concluded.