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'Twiggy' breaks new ground in film

Writer and director of The Bycicle Man Ntombozuko Twiggy Matiwana holding the Silver Stallion Prize. Pic. © Supplied
Writer and director of The Bycicle Man Ntombozuko Twiggy Matiwana holding the Silver Stallion Prize. Pic. © Supplied

Director and scriptwriter Ntombozuko "Twiggy" Matiwana is paving the way for aspiring female filmmakers in South Africa.

The 34-year-old director recently bagged two awards for her short film, The Bicycle Man, which she wrote and directed.

The film won the Silver Stallion and the European Union's Africa, Caribbean, Pacific prize in the category of short feature films at the 25th Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

The prestigious festival took place from February 25 to March 4. Matiwana said she was honoured to be the only female filmmaker from South Africa to represent the country in the category.

"I never expected to win, being considered for such a prestigious event was enough for me. The competition was tough. My film was up against many other films from all over Africa in that category, so winning was just humbling."

The Bicycle Man is about a village gardener and family man whose life takes a turn when he discovers that he has stage-two cancer.

As a traditional man living in a society that is filled with the misconception that cancer is a disease that affects women only, he battles with stereotypes versus reality.

Matiwana said she created the film to address the lack of knowledge and ignorance about cancer in males.

"The idea stemmed from a documentary I did about male cancer. Ten out of 100 men are diagnosed with cancer. This movie raises awareness in a non-traditional way."

The warm and collected storyteller is currently the assistant director of popular soapie The Queen. She has worked at Penguin Films and on productions like Skeem Saam and Scandal! as assistant director.

She also made documentaries such as See, Speak and Hear No Evil, which is about women who stay in abusive relationships, and WaterlessFlower, which exposed the poor living conditions in child- headed homes. The documentary attracted attention from the Department of Arts and Culture, which stepped in to aid the victims concerned.

The Auckland Park, Johannesburg, resident is a product of the esteemed digital filmmaking school Big Fish. "The industry is hard, especially for females, you get undermined and looked down upon."

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