Youngsters create their own employment

Dream Team Studios is creating employment for young people in Tembisa.

While the scourge of ever rising unemployment leads to young people losing hope and giving up altogether, Jim Kagiso Nkoana and a team of young people in Tembisa are set to assist young film graduates to acquire practical experience on a proper film set.

The young people involved in the initiative are all film graduates in their own right.

Their failure to secure sustainable employment in the film industry resulted in the film graduates establishing Dream Team Studios.

Dream Team Studios consists of Jim Kagiso Nkoana, Jack Mojapelo, Chresia Mathivha, Lelo Khumalo, Molebogeng Manyaka and Nokuthula Shongwe who are hands-on on a daily basis in the running of the studio’s business.

“Since I joined Dream Team I have learnt a lot. I didn’t know what was happening on set behind the scenes,” said Nokuthula Shongwe, a First Assistant Director and Camera Operator.

During a film production, members share the work load amongst themselves and operate within designations assigned to them.

What keeps these young people determined is a passion for telling stories.

Molebogeng Manyaka, a production manager, said she always knew from a young age that she was going to pursue a career in television and film.

“My love for television started when I was very young, living in Limpopo at a village called Serafa,” said Manyaka.

She said the only place that had a television set was a local café, where neighbours would gather to watch entertaining stories.

“Unlike most children who wanted to be on television, I was more interested in being part of the crew who made it possible for people to appear on the screen. I never imagined myself on the screen but I wanted to be behind the scenes,” said Manyaka.

Chresia Mathivha joined the team to learn more about editing.

“My vision for Dream Team Studios is that we become an international production company and create employment for young people from townships like Tembisa,” said Mathivha.

Lelo Khumalo, a Dream Team Studios producer, said it is important for Dream Team Studios to be a success because the members are not only film makers.

“We are actually young South Africans who are unemployed and we just decided that enough is enough – we are going to take it upon ourselves and we are going to employ ourselves and now we are creating these jobs ourselves,” said Khumalo.

She said her vision is to see Dream Team Studios becoming bigger.

“We have come together as a collective to use our training and skills to uplift our community,” said Director Jim Kagiso Nkoana.

“We hope to grow film in Tembisa and be celebrated for being the pioneers of film who came out of Tembisa. We are very proud.”

Nkoana said they implore the community to be supportive of their endeavours so that they can reach out to the world with confidence.

A few weeks ago Dream Team Studios screened some of their work at the Moses Molelekwa Arts Centre for the community to indulge.