BY REGINALD KANYANE

A 31 year-old award-winning actor, Presley Chweneyagae said he was ready to regain his niche in the film industry. North West-born actor encouraged young people to embark on acting. He said that the world needs to know about the untold stories from South Africans.

“To me acting came natural. I started acting at the age of 13. We need to preserve our heritage, our history. Filming industry encourages more tourists to visit the areas and that augurs well for the economy. I started at Mmabana Mmabatho where I learnt acting skills and polished my talent.

“If you want to be the best actor, you must make sure that you know your script. Nobody wants an awkward person standing up there, mouth open with no words coming out. Make sure your emotion reaches every corner of the room. Remember, you are not yourself. You forget everything you are and be who the character is. It’s not you playing the character, it’s you speaking. Immerse you in the character,” he said.

Chweneyagae who starred in an award-winning movie called Tsotsi, said he has been working at theatre. He said Tsotsi movie which was directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Peter Fudakowski gave him a good platform to launch his career.

“The film envisaged the South African story. Tsotsi went on to win the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. I am currently negotiating a deal with one of the biggest productions in South Africa. So if all go well, I will be in one of Mzansi’s favourite soapies from next year.

“I am busy working with a United Kingdom-based home theatre production. The same project is in Brazil and other parts of the world. We identify any ordinary person and reflect on their lives. We are required to resemble the life of that individual and perform it for them. I worked on many films so far like Zama-Zama, Inumber Number, and others.” he said.

Chweneyagae who recently took part in Soweto marathon said he was amazed about the newly-built film studio in Mmabana Mmabatho in Mahikeng. He said that will assist in developing young and raw talents in the province. He mentioned that he was busy with rural development projects in filming.

-TDN

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