Goeie dag vir jou! / Good day to you! 

 

Our film, Woestynpsalm, meaning A Desert Psalm in Afrikaans, is set in the remote Sub-Saharan African land of Namibia.

 

The film revolves around Nadia, a modest Protestant reverend, who drives extreme distances across the country every week to preach to a dying congregation. As she faces growing pressure from both neighboring churches and her family to reconsider her career, she finds herself torn between her family and her duty as a reverend. Struggling between responsibilities, Nadia must discover what it means to be a mother, a daughter, and ultimately a woman in the religious community.

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When first coming to the United States, our director, Ben, was confronted with the reality that Namibia was an ambiguous, and sometimes completely foreign entity to many. Being a filmmaker at Tisch School of the Arts, this strangely gave Ben an advantage: the ability to bring something new to his audiences. Due to this lack of Namibian stories, Ben has the unique opportunity to create work free from pre-existing expectations and stereotypes.

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While neither Rex, the film’s cinematographer nor I, the producer has been to Namibia before (or the entire continent of Africa, for that matter), we both have become more and more familiar with the culture that is so present in Ben’s personality simply by being friends with him. We have gathered bits and pieces from the stories Ben tells and the pictures he shares. By picturing the bright blue sky stretching across kilometers of empty roads and dry deserts, we sometimes feel like we already have been to Ben's homeland. Through this journey, not only are we determined to help Ben tell Nadia's story, we are also very excited to take you along our adventure as well. We hope that through our ventures, we are able to leave you with a piece of Namibia as well. 

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Rex and I plan on traveling to Namibia in early April of 2021, where we will join Ben to finalize production details, as our main shooting period will span from April 23 til May 10. 

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For additional information, make sure to follow our Instagram to stay updated on our journey: @woestyn_film, and for any further inquiries, please contact us at woestynfilm@gmail.com.

Baie dankie! / Thank you so much!

- Anna Lee, Producer + the crew of Woestynpsalm