// A multi-award-winning feature film from Zimbabwe ; Written-Directed by Tomas Lutuli Brickhill & Produced by Joe Njagu //
Wassup wassup fam. I hope that you all good. If you haven't come across the good news yet about the above film, well then now you know. A few days ago we heard the good news on our social media streets about the first film from Zimbabwe that will be featured on the world's leading internet entertainment service "Netflix". The big announcement was well received, and reminded me that I actually have a Netflix account (I haven't watched anything on Netflix in over a few weeks now, so I hope before this week ends I make a bit of time to catch up on some shows because I don't like paying for things I don't use lol). Anyway, back to this amazing film that I definitely can't wait to watch. Let's start off with the synopsis, so that you get to know their beautiful story.
"Cook Off follows the journey of Anesu, a down-on-her-luck single mother from Harare’s Budiriro township who becomes a national sensation after she qualifies for Zimbabwe’s top reality TV cooking show, but then finds herself out of her depth battling against professional chefs. Featuring rising star Tendaiishe ‘Tendie’ Chitima as Anesu, popular hiphop artist Tehn Diamond as the handsome fellow chef Prince and much-beloved ‘Neria’ star Jesesi Mungoshi as the grandmother, Cook Off is 100% ‘Made in Zimbabwe’. This heartwarming rom-com has screened at nearly 20 festivals worldwide, won Best Film and Best Actress at the 2019 NAMAs and ZIFF in 2018, and will shortly be available on general release. Cook Off features a host of celebrated Zimbabwean actors – including from Studio 263, Wenera, Bustop TV and Zambezi News – as well as cameos from presenters Zihlo and DJ Karen Paida, and musicians Sylent Nqo and Shingai Shoniwa from the Noisettes. With its all-star soundtrack, Cook Off is an incredible showcase of Zimbabwean talent." Click on the image below to visit their website.
This multi award winning film is "a celebration of love, good food, and much more, but especially of wonderful mothers". It has received some great reviews from the likes of Lucian Msamati (Actor - His Dark Materials / Game Of Thrones), Chipo Chung (Actress - Into The Badlands / Dr Who) and Brian Chikwava (Author - Caine Prize Winner 2004) just to name a few. If you have read this article this far and are still not as excited as me, then I honestly don't know fam. We'll have to leave it to the trailer below to get you on the same emotionally wavelength as most of us.
You know what makes me a bit anxious though? It's that there is no set date on when it will show on Netflix yet, so if you're like me, then make sure you like their Facebook Page, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, plus also subscribe to their site here. I really need to watch it on the day it's released. This past weekend, they shared a couple of "behind the scenes" images of the cast and production team on their social media pages, so you might also want to check those out. Speaking of the team behind the show, it wouldn't be right for me not to give special a mention to Tomas Lutuli Brickhill (the writer-director ) and Joe Njagu (the producer). JOB WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe that this is only the beginning of more greatness to come. Some of us are tired of seeing the stereotypical films/ movies that depict African countries as places synonymous to suffering and inequality. It's also important to note the whole Cook Off crew managed to pull this off in Zim fam. Yoh. I can only imagine the struggles of getting this project together and to such a high standard in an economy that's not so conducive for the creative industry as a whole. Anyway, let me stop here because I can go on and on talking about how impressed I am. The Director was interviewed on BBC about the making of Cook Off which you can listen to here. Do check out the trailer below, and let's spread the word to the masses. You can find a lot of amazing information on their website, so make sure that you visit www.cookoffthemovie.com
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