From limited resources to International Acclaim: How I shot a 1-Minute Film and WON the JCS International Young Creatives Award 2023 - And why you can

I’m Zimkhitha Letlotlo, daughter of Lerato Legodi, and sister to Lereko and Bokang Mohlabeng. As a devout Christian, I’m passionate about using my talents to make a positive impact.

With a BA in dramatic Arts from Witwatersrand University, I began my journey as an actor. However, my collaborations with film students sparked my interest in filmmaking. I got to learn with them and slowly fell in love with filmmaking through them.

In 2020, I discovered the JCSI Young Creatives competition. I read about it online and I did my research on them. I was really inspired by their contribution to trying to achieve World Peace by getting creatives to point out the societal and worldly issues in a film form, and how those issues could go about being resolved. So, in 2020, I entered a short film to the competition, however my film was not selected because it was over a minute long. The rules are very strict, and the film cannot be a second over or under 1 minute. This was a challenge I was eager to take on.

In 2023, I decided to enter again. I was excited because I resonated with their theme “Stand Up for Peace”. South Africa has been experiencing an epidemic of femicide and GBV for years and that topic is something I am extremely passionate about. As a South African woman living in a country full of GBV, I found it to be a dire need for me to try and communicate this to the world. I needed to let the world know what is happening to my people. The JCSI Young Creatives competition was the perfect platform for me to do so. They were offering me a platform to sing my cries out loud and to do it artistically and what better way to tell the stories you're passionate about than to do them using your God-given talent.

The only challenge was that I had to tell our story in exactly one minute! I had a lot of concepts and ideas for my submission but in the end, I chose to stick to the reality of the problem that we are facing in South Africa, I chose to tell the truth without downplaying or masking it.

When I finally had a concept I put it on paper and envisioned how it would look, how I want the story to touch the people watching it. I decided to tell it with four women of different ages and backgrounds. The first girl was a young woman, Leago, 11 years old, being married off to a man who is almost three times her age. With this I wanted to show child marriages and overall child abuse. The girl holds a lit candle in her hand as soon as the violation takes place, it switches off her handle and she’s left without the light that she had.

The second woman, Rainy, shows physical abuse/domestic violence to women in this country. Most cases of domestic violence go unreported. This particular woman I resonated with, because my mother was a victim of domestic violence. Rainy’s candle was not in her hand, but it was close to her and still lit, signifying that the violence she experiences is not happening for the first time. Her light is a little far from her, but it is still lit. When she experiences the violence, it blows out her candle, thus taking away her light.

The third woman, Zimkhitha, also does not have the candle in her hand, it is placed close to her. It is lit. As the violence of rape continuously happens, she looks at her candle in attempt to fight to have it stay on, however, the flame threatens to switch off as the violence continues. Eventually, her light goes out as well. This violence along with the killings of women are the most common with GBV in South Africa.

The last woman, Zoe, is a high schooler walking home with anxiety, afraid that at any point someone could appear and snatch her light away from her. She keeps looking back to try and avoid an unexpected attack, instead, true to her fears, the threat of her light being taken away appears in front of her. This signifies being violated by someone close to you, someone right in front of you, instead of a stranger that we always expect it to be. The previously violated women, Leago, Rainy and Zimkhitha show up to Zoe’s aid. They stand together with her to finally fight the perpetrators. Zoe shares her light with them and they all get their light back. This signifies that although we may be victims of violence if we stand together we can fight back. We can stand up for one another and offer each other that peace. You can Share Your Light - hence the title of the film.

The importance of having told that story in one minute is that you can easily get to the point and still address the issues you wanted and needed to address. The audience stays engaged because the time in which the story is told does not surpass their attention time span and the message is received and understood.

Making this film was challenging because although I had my concept and I had the story I wanted to tell, my resources were limited. I did not have a budget for making the film which means I couldn’t pay the actors or the crew. Fortunately, I have made connections with a lot of actors and I was able to ask for a few favours. For the crew, I asked my friends Panchy and Panch Gasela of Gasela Bro’s Pictures to assist me. It is so important to collaborate with friends because just like Miss Issa Rae said “network across”. I know that without my networking with the people close to me, without Leago, Rainy, Zoe, Panchy, Panch and Sifiso I would have never been able to make this film! I am truly grateful for them.

Editing was just as challenging, choosing what to keep and what to throw away was not easy at all. However, because I knew the core basis of the story I was trying to tell, it made it less painful to cut out all the unnecessary noise in the film and keep all the things that told the story as raw and as truthful as possible.

Choosing the song was the easiest part. Yallunder is an amazing singer with absolutely amazing vocals! Choosing her song Ndinovalo was a no brainer! The song says “Ndinovalo” which means “I am afraid” I chose to concentrate on those lyrics because it sums up the feeling of fear and anxiety that are cemented within the film. As women in South Africa, we are scared. We are scared to go the bathroom by ourselves, we are afraid to drive alone at night, we are afraid in our own houses, we are afraid to speak up out of fear of not being believed, we are afraid of going on a one on one date with a man without send our location to a close friend. WE. ARE. AFRAID. Sinovalo! I contacted Yallunder and her team at 1020 Cartel / Yolanda Nyembezi and they agreed to have me use the song in my film and it was the final touch I needed to the film.

From there, I submitted my film. The submission process was easy, JCSI made it easily accessible. So, I submitted all their requirements, and I clicked send!

For future participants my advice would be, read the rules and regulations carefully! Follow the theme that they give and write about something you are passionate about, something that speaks to you.

I think it is truly important to try, and push past the barriers, if you think you won't be able to enter the competition because you don’t have equipment or you don’t have actors or whatever it might be, remember, your next network is right next to you, CALL THEM. Always try, you don’t have to wait until you’re perfect, give it your all now and if it doesn’t work out, you learn from that and you try again and if it does… Congratulations!

Congratulations! Such a delightful word! When I found out I won I was excited! I got on my knees, and I thanked God, because without Jesus, none of this would have been possible for me. I prayed and gave my praise and gratitude. I called my mom and sisters, and we screamed over the phone for a good ten minutes! My grandma called me and cried; it was truly a wholesome moment. My family reminded me to stay humble and they prayed with me.

I am so Happy that the JCSI has opened such a space for creatives to be creative in how to address and attempt to fix the issues of the world. It allows people from all over the globe to shine and tell their stories while also showcasing their talents.

What is next for me? Well, first, I will be attending the 52nd International Emmy Awards. I also have something cooking in my pot hehe! Stay tuned.

In a word that holds no space for you, squeeze yourself in and take up space!