24 Jul 2019

For many students, the pathway to success begins with rigorous coursework, and sleepless nights in trying to get the best test scores.

More often than not, not many would want to endure the journey again but rather settle in the world of employment after graduating especially that jobs do not come easy.

For Mompati Rantuana, 2019 would be a year to remember. He recorded a first with an opportunity of a lifetime.

He was handpicked by a United States film producer, Dexter Davis, who offered him a job to work as an associate producer in the upcoming film, The Blue Mauritius.

The former AFDA Botswana student armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Motion Picture majoring in Producing will assist in putting the film together.

“It is very humbling to be recognised for hard work and dedication. It’s not every day that one gets to be part of a US$15 million film,” stated Rantuana in an interview.

‘’Producing is all I ever wanted to do and I am very thankful to receive this kind of mentorship. This is a big exposure for me as I will have the privilege to learn and network. My dream is to one day make films both locally and internationally,” he said.

Davis, who attended AFDA awards and boot camp, said Africa had talent and the quality of films he saw at the awards were proof of that.

He said he was intrigued by Rantuana who was among AFDA students who came to welcome him at the airport.

The two attended radio interviews together and Davis said he got fascinated by the young man’s confidence.

Davis said when he saw the film Rantuana produced and for which he won the Best Producer Award, he was convinced Rantuana was the right man for the job.

He said Batswana had ideas on how to develop great stories around Botswana and it was high time such talent and stories were made known.

The film industry here, he said, needed to think outside the box given the limited resources to develop stories.

“Batswana should be creative about their experiences and the things that they are familiar with and in doing so make contact internationally to give the stories exposure,” stated Davis adding that there was a need for a privatised industry in order to promote increased efficiency, competition and grow the revenue stream. 

AFDA lecturer, Kaone Mosinyi said they were excited about  Rantuana breakthrough.

She said it was vital that arts sector be valued for its intrinsic value and measurable impact on the economy. ENDS