Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana) – Winner of NEFTI Africa Competition with African Bank at Durban FilmMart
Judges
Acclaimed Actress Vivica A Fox, Academy and Tony Award winning producer Bruce Cohen, and President of Post Production 21st Century Fox/Disney Ted Gagliano – as well as the previous competition winner – Nahom Abraham (Eritrea)
Selected
Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana)
Competition Winner Receives $5000
Audience Viewers Choice
Chosen By The Event & Online Attendees Goes To
Moreetsi Gabang
Audience Viewers Choice Winner Receives $2000
All Three Finalists To Receive A 1-Year Adobe Creative Cloud
All Apps Complimentary Subscription
NEFT Vodka and the Durban FilmMart along with African Bank, have forged a collaboration to highlight and promote young African talent. Currently in its fourth year, the N.E.F.T.I. (NEFT Emerging Film Talent International) competition – originally developed by NEFT Vodka and The International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) – aims to challenge aspiring filmmakers across the Continent to showcase their innovative and creative skills while embracing their uniqueness and love for Africa.
This year’s winning filmmaker of the $5,000 prize was Moreetsi Gabang from Botswana. His film is called, “Zombie Date Night in Tlokweng” and revolves around a young couple whose date night takes an unexpected turn when a roommate returns home possessed by a demonic spirit after attending a religious sermon. A fun and thrilling story about being courageous in spite of our fears in order to protect the people we care about from danger.
The Audience Viewers Choice Winner of the $2,000 prize goes to: Moreetsi Gabang from Bostwana.
The other finalists were: Lwazi Duma (South Africa) whose film, “Forbidden Taste,” is set in 1960 apartheid South Africa where interracial sexual relations and alcohol consumption were strictly prohibited. The story follows a black and white couple who meet to share a forbidden drink only to discover that both couples are unfaithful to one another. And Emma Tollman (South Africa) whose film, “Rage,” takes place at a romantic crossroads, one woman’s search for healing takes her on a transformative road trip weekend away with her girlfriends.
“I’m so impressed by how Moreetsi seamlessly brought his pitch to life,” stated Paul Robinson, The Chief Creative Officer of NEFT Vodka who presented the awards. “His concept was ambitious at the least, but wow did he deliver a fun and creative film. The Nefti filmmakers never cease to amaze me with their talent, innovation and determination. Emma Tollman, Lwazi Duma and Moreetsi Gabang all fit perfectly into the family.”
Contestants are selected to participate in the Competition by the Durban FilmMart network of filmmakers and NEFTI social media outlets.
Of those applicants, 10 were selected to present a zoom pitch of the concept for their film to a panel of judges consisting of 3 leading film industry professionals – Acclaimed Actress Vivica A Fox, Academy and Tony Award winning producer Bruce Cohen, and President of Post-production at 21st Century Fox/Disney Ted Gagliano – and Nahom Abraham, NEFTI 2023 winner. And from those 10, 3 finalists were selected and had 30 days to complete and submit their film. The task involves that each filmmaker weaves African Bank into the storyline without advertising or product placement, using the African Bank Credit Card.
The 3 winning films were screened at the Durban FilmMart, followed by a live viewing of the judges’ deliberation, and the choosing of the winner of the $5,000 prize. The audience, online and those gathered in the Elangeni/Maharani Hotel on the Durban Beachfront in KwaZulu-Natal then selected the viewer’s choice award winner of $2000.
Upcoming NEFTI Competitions include NEFTI Nigeria, and NEFTI All-Stars.
ABOUT NEFT VODKA
Crafted in the Rhaetian Alps of Austria for its oxygen-rich spring water, NEFT combines four different types of non-GMO ancient rye grains, and uses a triple, copper-pot distillation process with carbon-layer filtering to produce a vodka with a refined flavor profile. Since debuting in the U.S., NEFT has received multiple accolades and awards, including a 98-point rating from The Tasting Panel magazine; won Double Gold medals at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, becoming one of only two vodkas to win that recognition consecutively for two years and significantly, in the same competition, won “Best Vodka”.
NEFT Vodka is an ultra-premium Austrian vodka brand that embraces art, creativity, and the belief that life is a story worth telling. We believe that every story is a learning experience and enhances us in some way, especially ones that are foreign to our everyday life. We created this competition to give filmmakers in emerging economies an opportunity to create stories and spotlight them on an international platform.
