Oshosheni Hiveluah

Director | Writer

About Me

Hi, my name is Oshosheni Hiveluah, I am a Namibian filmmaker. I direct, write and produce and have four narrative short films under my belt and I just recently shot my first feature film and I have also co-diretced my first documentary film, besides all the other corporate and commercial work I do to get by. I have been working for 11 years in the film industry, wow that’s a little more than a decade.

So how did it all happen? Well my filming career began after I returned home to Namibia from studying in Cape Town and participated in a student filmmaking workshop where I was initially just meant to write the screenplay, because the first dream was and remains to be a writer. As fate would have it I ended up writing and directing this little student film which was called ‘Tulila’s Fate’ which opened up more doors and opportunity into the local film industry. I went on to work for a local production service company for several years to gain experience in the film industry and during that time I made my second short film ‘Cries at night’.

After that I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling any longer, I had to write and direct more films, it wasn’t enough for me to work on other people’s films, I had too many ideas and it brought me so much joy.

In 2010 I quit my super cool producing/partner job in pursuit of that dream. I became a freelancer with the primary focus entirely on film directing and writing, but survival instincts kicked in and in order to have a regular income I also opened up a casting agency called Shooting Stars Casting Agency. From there next short film ‘100 Bucks’ followed and in 2014 ‘Tjitji the Himba Girl’ was completed. I am currently working on my first feature film and also developing several other film ideas in collaboration with African writers from the region. I plan on producing more films for emerging directors in southern Africa through Digital Afros. What is that? Well you see, I am also the Creative Director of a spanking new and young film a design company, which is called Digital Afros and manage an NGO called Emoona Cultural Foundation which is an initiative for youth with regards to the preservation of culture and heritage through the arts.

Films

My films have screened at numerous film festivals around the world and have been awarded with several prizes. My aspiration is to tell alternative African stories primarily for African audiences that examine the human psyche and explore who we are as people. However, I am also fascinated by fantasy and would love to do more adventure films and create exciting content for young audiences and youth with positive African role models as their heros and main characters.

OMEVA - Water

We live in the North of Namibia, close to the border of Angola, in an area called Ohangwena. Kwanyama people have been living on this land for many generations and have always known how to find water in the dry season. But lately, things are changing. The air seems to be made of dust only. People and cattle often go thirsty. This is a story about water. And about what happens if it is gone.

Prizes & Awards: Special Jury Prize at the 5th Iran International Green Film Festival (2016)

Film Festival participation: Televisionworkshop Development Policy (Frankfurt am Main) 2017, 6th Africa International Film Festival (Lagos, Nigeria) 2016, 5th Iran International Green Film Festival (Teheran, Iran) 2016

OMEVA is a documentary collaboration between professional filmmakers and five young people from Ohangwena, one of the most drought-ridden areas of Namibia. The film interweaves the young filmmakers’ personal experiences with stories of water from their community. – A rare glimpse at life in an increasingly dry part of the world told by those living in it every day.

Tjitji the Himba girl

Tjitji, a bright young, rural Himba girl, is torn between her parent’s cultural values and expectations, and her personal desire to embrace the opportunities life has to offer and maybe, even fulfil her dream of becoming a talk show host.

Prizes & Awards: Best Narrative at Namibia Theatre & Film Awards 2014, Best Cinematography at Namibia Theatre & Film Awards 2014, Special Festival Mention ‘Bangalore Short Film Festival’ (Bangalore, India) 2015

Film Festival participation: Cork African Film Festival (Ireland), AFRIFF (Nigeria), Film Africa (England), Innsbruck Film Campus (Austria), International Black Women’s Film Festival (USA), Zanzibar International Film Festival (Tanzania)

100 bucks

100 Bucks is an urban story of the journey of a 100-dollar note that passes from hands of wealth to hands of need and through thieving hands. Through the journey of the currency brief insights into the lives of different characters are revealed that weave in and out of each otherʼs lives and the daily struggles they face.

Prizes & Awards: Best International Short Film at Rajasthan International Film Festival India 2016, Audience Choice Award Namibian Theatre & Film Awards 2014, Best Music/Score-Steffen List for 100 Bucks Namibian Theatre & Music Awards 2014

Film Festival participation: New York Pan African Film Festival (NY, USA), African Film Festival at Washington University (St Louis, MO), Tampere International Film Festival, Zanzibar International Film Festival, Arusha International Film Festival

Cries at night

The past comes calling for a Namibian war veteran when he happens upon his former torturer.

Prizes & Awards: Best Short Film Images International Film Festival (Harare, Zimbabwe) 2010, Best Actor Namibian Theatre & Film Awards 2010

Film Festival participation: Africa in the Picture Film Festival (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Zanzibar International Film Festival (Zanzibar, Tanzania), Durban international Film Festival-DIFF (Durban, South Africa), FESPACO (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), Mismebinga (Cameroon), Pan African Film Festival-PAFF (Los Angeles, USA)

Cries at night is part of the Latitude short film series-9 contemporary short films from Africa edition executive produced by Steven Markovitz for Goethe Institute Johannesburg.

On the Slate

awards | festivals | filmic stuff

Contact Me

Have a film idea or you need help with, script development?

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