“A role in which I could play an empowered character pursing what she wanted was for me a great opportunity.”, “The movie shows the other side of our story,” she added. “Previously I was acting in a lot of TV shows in which my role as a Zimbabwean was either a maid, a prostitute, or I was being trafficked,” said Chitima, who had previously featured only in shorter productions. While learning to improve her skills with a fellow contestant, sparks fly not only between them but with her mother as well, who is disappointed in how her daughter’s life has turned out. TheSouthAfrican.com is all about South Africa and the stories that affect South Africans, wherever they are in the world. The South African Wikipedia Trailer of the local movie Cook Off that is set to feature on Netflix. Address: Regus Business Centre Trailer of the local movie Cook Off that is set to feature... Uzalo actor Wiseman Mncube talks about raisng his daughter as a single Dad, Sophie Lichaba opens up about the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on her businesses, Get to know to SAs viral #JohnVuliGate girl Arianna: Pics and Vid, Lockdown update: Musical gigs, live events remain banned, A crisis Tongai Moyo Dhewa never imagined, Creators of The River in hot water for messing with Producer, Madam Boss joins in the #JohnVuligate challenge: Video, Busted cheating Joseph Chinotimba’s wife speaks out. With Louie Anderson, Nick Rey Angelus, Diedrich Bader, Jordan Black. In an interview with The Herald, Brickhill said this was a great achievement in the history of Zimbabwe. “But we have been dealing with it for so long, that is normal for us.”. From a purely technical perspective, the film is not on standard with other offerings, with over-the-top acting and incredibly low production value. President Mnangagwa spoils wife with a new ride on Mothers Day: Pic. 1st Floor, Block B, North Park, Black River Park, 2 Fir Street, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa It really helped to give the film great exposure although we could not afford to go to all the festivals. Chitima plays main character Anesu, a single mother too busy making ends meet to pursue her passion for food… until her son and grand-mother sign her up for a reality cooking contest. The daily limit was $20 (18 euros) — not even enough for bottled water in a country crippled by hyper-inflation. The final two families face off in a high-stakes showdown, creating a three-course extravaganza with big flavors that are worthy of a win. thesouthafrican.com is Release year: 2017 In this unscripted series, families passionate about food serve up their most delicious dishes for the chance to be crowned Britain's best home cooks. Chitima admitted that none of the cast or crew had yet been paid for their work. “We are really proud of this achievement and feel that this shows the hard work and talent that every member of the cast and crew brought to this film,” he said. It was written and directed by Tomas Brickhill and produced by Joe Njagu. Tendaiishe Chitima, who plays the lead Anesu, is a charming actor and delivers a standout performance that highlights her bright future ahead. by Béatrice Debut, Pictures by Wikus de Wet for Agence France-Presse (AFP). With that in mind, it makes it even more inspiring to have Netflix add it to its roster. Learn how your comment data is processed. Help support journalists, the guardians of independent journalism, through our, DA lays criminal charges against Ndlozi for ‘song he sang in Senekal’, WATCH: Skeem Saam latest episode, E79 S9 – Thursday 22 October 2020, SA stuck with R200m of ‘unusable COVID drugs’ – due to SANDF gaffe, Formula 1: Haas may choose two rookies for new line-up, 7de Laan: what is happening Thursday, 22 October 2020 – E264 S21. In terms of the characters, the villain in the story – a fellow contestant married to Anesu’s ex-lover – could have used a little more fleshing out and more screen-time to build up the tension for the climax. The First Lady is one of the many mothers that were treated by their loved ones on the day. First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa was treated by her hubby and sons on Mother’s day with an unusual gift any person could think of. “Cook Off” was shot in 2017, just months before the fall of Zimbabwe’s despotic ex-president Robert Mugabe, whose iron-fisted rule brought the economy to its knees. Professor Madhuku: Zimbabweans wasted their votes in 2018, Workers react to govt’s US$500 funeral assistance offer, Report: Chinese-owned company locks Zim workers for 5 months, Update: Parirenyatwa Hospital bogus doctor not the first case in Zim. Cook Off, produced at only US$ 408, may not carry all the technical mastering and appeal, but it is Zimbabwe’s incredible step forward in the highly competitive movie industry. Chitima hoped to eventually star in big budget productions. The film follows a single mother that enters a cooking competition on a TV show. One day, one of the actresses found herself choked up in a cloud of tear gas fired to disperse an anti-government protest. Meanwhile, she is still waiting for her pay cheque. “We used the costumes, the set, the cooking pots of Battle of the chefs,” confessed director Tomas Brickhill, referring to a programme now no longer airing.

However, if you just look at the content and heart of the story, it’s an inspiring, a uniquely African film that warrants the recognition it has received. Most of “Cook Off” was shot on the set of Zimbabwe’s version of “Top Chef”, which airs on public broadcaster ZBC.

The plot doesn’t flow smoothly, and there are long sections of nothing really happening to drive things along.

With no running water on set and little cash to spare, the “Cook Off” crew resorted to drinking boiled water from a garden tap. The filming conditions were incredibly hard as the country was rocked by economic collapse, the cast and crew working on contracts with deferred payments. (Photo by WIKUS DE WET / AFP) "Cook Off" was shot in 2017, just months before the fall of Zimbabwe's despotic ex-president Robert Mugabe, whose iron-fisted rule brought the economy to its knees. Tendaiishe Chitima, the lead actress in the Zimbabwean film Cook Off, poses for a portrait at her home in Sandton on May 28, 2020. 'Cook Off': Fans say Netflix's first Zimbabwean film is 'phenomenal', while others call it 'predictable' The film released on Netflix on June 1, two and a half years after its release in Zimbabwe (December 31, 2017) and has opened to mixed reviews from viewers