BY AGATHA CHUMA MUTARE-born Joseph Dzatsata is one of those scriptwriters and filmmakers who ooze with confidence when talking about their careers.
Notwithstanding his current occupation as a security guard, the 32-year-old Dzatsata has scripted a number of movies that are making waves in the country.
He is passionate about storytelling and believes that film has the power to change lives for the better.
His films, which include Smoking Gun, Caged, Effect, Quo Tendimus, Witness and Abyss, explore burning societal issues from crime, gender-based violence to drug abuse.
“As soon as I could read, I always wanted to be a writer. I remember one of the first novels The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy I read back when I was in Grade Seven, stroked my imagination so much that I could see and feel the story and that woke me up; and it triggered a burning need in me to tell stories that touch lives,” he recalled.
“I started writing novels professionally in 2016 after publishing my first book Guilty Eye on the Wattpad platform. I went on to write four other novels and that is when I discovered that the reading culture in Zimbabwe had gone down and I decided to go the visual writing route and became a screenwriter.”
To be successful in the creative industry, Dzatsata believes one has to be focused.
“Though I have been a creative writer for six years, I have been a scriptwriter for just two years. Through my experience, I have learned that in this amazing industry you get to meet all kinds of people and if one is not careful you end up losing yourself,” he noted.
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“I also discovered that scriptwriters are the most disadvantaged people in the industry, mostly because a lot of us have no other skills in filmmaking and usually do not have any financial muscle to weigh in on how our scripts should be filmed.”
Funding challenges have been another of Dzatsata’s Achille’s heels in his endeavour to grow his craft.
“This has been said over and over again, funding is our biggest challenge in the film industry. We cannot sugarcoat it. While we have stories, scripts that are ready to be filmed, most of them don’t see the light of day because of lack of money and/or equipment,” he said.
“One of the solutions, from a writer’s perspective, is to collaborate with established production studios that already have channels of funding. That solution works, you get to have your films made, but most of the time the writer ends up losing. While the film is made, you get credit and fame.”
While in other countries, there are screenwriters’ guilds — which safeguard writers’ rights and stipulates standard payments for writers, Dzatsata wished for the same in Zimbabwe.
“So, if screenwriters are to get paid, I believe we should go independent instead of staying attached to one production house. Once you have some published works that you can refer to, you can then approach other filmmakers on a case-by-case basis and negotiate the best deal for yourself,” he observed.
Dzatsata said it was not easy to balance his security work and passion for filmmaking.
“It is difficult since I spend 12 or more hours at work as a security guard, but I make time. The beauty of mobile writing applications is that I can write anywhere, every free moment I get I squeeze in a few scenes,” he said.
Away from his busy schedule, he gets time to relax.
“In my leisure time, I go to the cinema with my family. When I am at home, I like watching television, especially scripted series. I also enjoy a number of action video games,” he noted.
As a word of advice, he said there was no shortcut to success.
“Work hard and practise, there is no shortcut to it. You write and keep writing and keep learning. Attend every writers’ seminar you can afford to, you learn new techniques from other writers. Also link up with other writers to get honest constructive feedback on your work,” he said.
“As Zimbabweans, we have a diverse cultural background which we can tap into as creatives. If we capitalise on what we have, we can tell stories that resonate with the world. We may not have the resources like Nollywood, but we definitely have the creativity to match is surpass it. I encourage all writers to keep on working and aim high.”
Although he is yet to win an award as a scriptwriter, his novel Code of The Eagle won a Watty’s award in 2018 under the best action category.
Dzatsata, who grew up in Mudzingwa village in Chiadzwa area, went to Chirasika Primary School, about 13km from his homestead.
He attended Hot Springs Secondary School for his Ordinary Level studies.
He is married with three children.
- Follow Agatha on Twitter @AgathaChuma
