Eswatini cinema has scored another success beyond its borders. A Dream (Liphupho) won the Best Screenplay award at the second edition of the Waterloo Film Festival in Durban, South Africa, the Times of Eswatini reported on Wednesday. The film is the work of Siphosethu Sibandze, an Eswatini actor and filmmaker who wrote, directed and produced it.
The director left the kingdom on Thursday, October 29, to represent his country at the three-day festival, which ran from Friday to Sunday. He thanked Tribe Studios and Genesis Ekucaleni Media, whose financial contributions, added to his personal savings, made the trip possible. He described the experience as a learning opportunity, particularly on international production practices and distribution channels.
Released in 2024, the 58-minute drama takes its title from the siSwati word liphupho, meaning dream. Its cast includes Akahle Ntjalintjali, Nqobile Mavuso and Gift Shongwe. The film deals with believing in one’s dreams, family support and hard work. It has been shown in commercial cinemas and schools across the country before travelling to several festivals abroad.
This is the film’s third award. In August, it had already won the Local Is Lekker Award at the Mpumalanga International Film Festival in South Africa. Siphosethu Sibandze said at the time that the project had taught him an Eswatini story could resonate with the world. He said he was proudest of having started with almost nothing, just a story and a crew that believed in it, and of showing young filmmakers in the country that it could be done.
For the Times of Eswatini, the film’s journey reveals the potential of the kingdom’s film industry, as well as the need for structured institutional funding to support local talent on the international stage.