From 26th March to 30 April 2025, Purple Mountain Arts Residency hosted six aspiring and emerging filmmakers/activists from across the African continent for the month of April. 

A collaboration between PMAR and 75 Shots Pocket Cinema (Canada), this month-long residency had been five years in the planning, with all the participants meeting in person for the first time.  Under the moniker, ‘75 Mountains’, the PMAR / 75 Shots collaboration saw these filmmakers / activists from across Africa come together to hone their filmmaking skills and to cut their teeth on a fictional film project, titled Nuit Eternelle (Eternal Night).

The aspiring filmmakers were put through a rigorous program of filmmaking practice and their daily schedules were peppered with mentorship programs, curated by Carl Collison, (co-founder and co-director of PMAR). This mentorship program included workshops by and engagements with a stellar array of professionals and thought leaders from across the globe, all of whom shared information ranging from running independent queer film festivals, to personal wellbeing and mental health for queer persons in repressive country contexts. 

This momentous and historic first for South Africa resulted in a substantial cash injection into the Porterville economy, and rich engagement with the broader Porterville community.

The ‘75 Mountains Film Residency’ participants were:

Francky Belany

Born in Niger, and currently living in Burkina Faso, Francky Belany is a multidisciplinary artist, who began her artistic journey at an early age, inspired by her mother’s career as a theatre actress. Francky shapes her art from her daily life, her travels and her observation of the world around her. Francky studied at the Institut National des Arts et de l’Action Culturel (INSAAC) in Abidjan. Specializing in stage direction, she writes her own plays, notably Esther, J’ai de la Sympathie Pour Le Diable, Le Vestibule Des Sages, and Zahara. Francky is also a volunteer and founding member of the Burkina Faso-based collective, Les Sans-Nom, and her play, Je Suis La Bâtarde De Mon Père, will be staged at Belgium’s Expressions Mixtes 2025 Festival. For her participation in the 75 Mountains residency, Belany portrayed the leading role in the 75 SHOTS production, the fictional film, titled Nuit Eternelle, which she also scripted.

Prince Frimpong

Prince Frimpong (he/they) is a genderqueer artist and LGBTQI+ youth activist based in Accra, Ghana. As the executive director of the Youth Initiative Foundation and a passionate advocate for the rights of marginalized communities, Prince uses their art to document and challenge the erasure of queer identities in Ghana. They have worked with 75 SHOTS Pocket Cinema, evolving into a skilled performance video artist whose work has been featured internationally, including at the McCord Stewart Museum and the Centre Cultural Georges-Vanier in Montreal.

Karin Hazé

Karin Hazé is a Montreal-based experimental filmmaker, curator, and mentor, and founder of 75 SHOTS Pocket Cinema. Specializing in ephemeral projection interventions and the production of independent films using smartphones, Karin challenges the boundaries of cinema with passion and resilience. Karin has curated international film festivals that challenge norms and elevate marginalized voices. As the founder of 75 SHOTS Pocket Cinema, Karin continues to break barriers, offering a platform for radical LGBTQ+ perspectives that are often suppressed by capitalist and Western frameworks. Her artistic vision merges poetic and raw expression, reflecting her unwavering commitment to uplifting disenfranchised communities. In recognition of her dedication to making a difference, Karin was recently awarded the Iris Unger Recognition Award, which celebrates artists whose projects embody passion, commitment, and the drive to create social change.

Charles Nimako

Based in Accra, Ghana, Charles Nimako (they/them) is a human rights defender, who volunteers for organisations such as LGBT+ Rights Ghana, EngagementQ.Community, and Drama Queens. A creative at heart, Charles is passionate about using their activism to centre stories on queer rights and women’s rights, as well as shaping the queer experience by creating and providing safe spaces where women and queer persons can interact, build, and learn.

Mwamba T Nyanda

Mwamba T Nyanda (he/him) is an aspiring filmmaker, creative and human rights activist. He is also the founder of the Tanzanian transgender rights organisation, Tanzania Trans Initiative. His experience in filmmaking was gained through his training and work with the Canadian-based organization, 75 SHOTS’s ‘Pocket Cinema’ initiative, which specialises in the creation of short films using cellphone technology. Mwamba’s film, ‘The Source’ – a haunting tale of the tender relationship between a father and his transmasculine son – was screened earlier this year during a parallel event as part of the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York. His work continues to push boundaries, offering new perspectives on queer identity, love, and community.

Viola*

Viola is a storyteller at heart. Trained as a journalist with a degree from the University of Zimbabwe, she has spent the past few years in customer service and sales — but her real passion lies in acting, scriptwriting, and directing.

With an Actor Creator Certificate from the Zimbabwe Theatre Academy, she has been working with 75 SHOTS for about two years now, bringing untold stories to life from different parts of the world. During her participation in the 75 Mountains residency, Viola portrayed one of the leading roles in the 75 SHOTS production, the fictional film, titled Nuit Eternelle.

*Not their real name