Playing catch up: a critical examination of filmmaking and the film sector in Zambia

Mambwe, Elastus

Playing catch up: a critical examination of filmmaking and the film sector in Zambia

Thesis / Dissertation

2025

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Centre for Film and Media Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

This study examined the development and the state of filmmaking in Zambia from 1964 to 2021. Using the Political Economy of Film as the theoretical lens, the study sheds light on the ways that filmmaking has evolved during three key dispensations in Zambian political economic history, namely, the (United National Independence Party) UNIP years (1964 –1991), the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) years (1991 – 2011), and the Patriotic Front (PF) years (2011 – 2021). This was done with the assumption that a country's political and economic positionality can significantly affect the development of its film sector because it establishes the context in which filmmaking, a cultural, economic and meaning-making activity, occurs (Wasko, 2003; McQuail & Deuze, 2020). The study also sought to understand why Zambia did not develop a recognisable film sector in Africa despite having had a long history with filmmaking that dates to its colonial past. The examination was done in two layers, the first of which analysed film sector or industry-related elements as they have been experienced in post-colonial Zambia, while the second layer comprised a reading of selected Zambian film texts in the three epochs. The study appropriated the Small Nation Cinema approach (Hjort and Petrie, 2007) as an analytical frame, assuming that it could be used to examine the cinema of countries at the margins of film scholarship and the global film industry order. The qualitative study employed various data collection methods, including key informant (in-depth) interviews, observation and the analysis of selected Zambian productions. The study's findings show that the prevailing socio-political and economic conditions have influenced the context of film production in postcolonial Zambia. These conditions have determined the resources available for production and distribution and have influenced the state's overall approach to film in the different epochs. Further, filmmaking and the emerging screen industries continue to be plagued by old and new challenges, including the lack of funding or film financing, limited education and skills training in various aspects of film, little or no access to distribution channels, and an absence of government policy and support, necessary to develop filmmaking. The study also shows how television remains crucial to the development of screen production in the country but also highlights how this does not always serve the film industry well. Another key finding is that digitalisation, exemplified by the migration to digital broadcasting and the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms, is driving new optimism and opportunities in Zambian screen production. Lastly, a critical examination of selected film texts across the epochs reveals how didacticism and social value storytelling characterise many Zambian films. However, the study notes that this tendency is beginning to change as filmmakers embrace more narrative styles and aesthetic influences in recent years. Overall, the study highlights Zambian filmmaking and positions it as an activity of historical, cultural and, more recently, economic significance. It offers clear examples of filmic texts, textual practices, filmmakers, and information essential to appreciating Zambian filmmaking. By situating Zambia as a small cinema nation, the study expounds on how this ‘smallness' has affected the development of filmmaking in the country. The study also contributes to emerging national discourses on the development of the creative industries or the creative economy.