10 January, 2018 - 08:06
Actress Connie Chiume says South Africa's film industry has the potential to rival Hollywood. She stars alongside renowned actor and godfather of theatre, John Kani, and his son Atandwa Kani in the anticipated Marvel Comics superhero film Black Panther. by Ntombizodwa Makhoba
She said it had been overwhelming to see the professionalism, discipline, big budgets and the equipment used in Hollywood.
It's unfortunate that in South Africa we don't have budgets on a larger scale that will allow us to tell stories of the black community.
I believe if we can have discipline and professionalism, and be united as actors, we will be able to tell our stories and reach Hollywood standards of acting, she said.
Black Panther stars award-winning Lupita Nyong'o, Angela Bassett, Michael B Jordan and Forest Whitaker, and will be screened in cinemas next month.
Chiume plays a supporting role, the mining elder, in the movie. She told City Press this week that she was excited about the attention she was getting at home.
I was in tears when fans on social media showed me love and appreciation by volunteering to design my outfits for the premiere of Black Panther and for the Pan African Film Festival in Lost Angeles next month, she said.
Fans wanted to help after blogger Phil Mphela on Tuesday tweeted an appeal for local designers to make her something special to wear for the occasion.
Talking about the movie, she said it was exciting and fun to be part of the process.
Everyone was friendly and easy to work with, from the directors to the crew.
Touchvision enables creative professionals to achieve stellar growth
Request a trial, book a demo or call us for a chat
Get New Film Business in 2018
Select your Membership
Working with people around the world was the highlight. I found myself on a par with them.
This isn't the first time Chiume has starred in a Hollywood film.
She has appeared in movies such as The Air Up There (1994), I Dreamed of Africa (2000) and In My Country (2004).
Kani plays a leading role as King T'Chaka.
He told City Press that South Africa was focusing more on storytelling instead of exploring and making epic stories. With small budgets, it would be impossible to challenge Hollywood's blockbusters, he said.
But we must not give up. There is so much hope in improving our acting industry.
Kani stars alongside his son Atandwa, who plays the younger version of T'Chaka.
In the movie, my son visits me in an ancestral vision, when things don't go well in his life, Kani explained.
He praised his son for doing an incredible job as an actor, and for his splendid job as a language and culture consultant.
Asked what viewers can expect, he said: If you watched computerised features such as Iron Man, this is what the Black Panther is all about.
www.channel24.co.za
Actors and Performance
Africa South Africa
Africa Stories
16/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible South African pro...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
05/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/08/2026
14 August 2026 | Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), a...
14/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Ar...
08/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
28/07/2026
27 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
20/07/2026
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has released t...
09/07/2026
08 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
09/06/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body mandated to spearhead the equitable growth and development of the South African film and video...
19/05/2026
Press Release
18 May 2026, Johannesburg South Africa has been selected as the...
24/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
24/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
15/03/2026
Johannesburg, 14 March 2026 - On 13 and 14 March 2026, the 19th Annual South Afr...
12/03/2026
Johannesburg, 11 March 2026 - The 19th Annual South African Film and Television ...
03/03/2026
Click here for isiXhosa version.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers from Matatiele and surrounding areas to...
17/02/2026
Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and custodian of the SAFTAs, is calling on all South Afri...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the call for training provider submissions is open. This funding aims to award grants ...
06/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
04/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to participate in an exclusive creative showcase at the Annecy International...
02/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), is calling for applications from experienced Sou...
29/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distribut...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
20/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
07/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...
31/10/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2025
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Segomotso Keorapetse, an award- winning South African television d...
29/10/2025
It's not the wonders of the world that make a place; it's the people. As...
07/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
02/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
30/09/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 September 2025: The National Film and Video Found...
26/09/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Ar...
26/09/2025
https://www.nfvf.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/fully-Inclusive-nfvf-invitatio...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
27/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
25/08/2025
Theme: One Story. One Industry. One Future. - Celebrating South Africa's Screen Legacy, Together
Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (N...
04/08/2025
S o Paulo Film and Audiovisual Company (Spcine) and the National Film and Video ...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
28/06/2025
Johannesburg, 27 June 2025 - As the nation commemorates Youth Month
2025, the N...
10 January, 2018 - 08:06 
