Filmmaker Mr David Kazadi urged Zambians to watch Mr Wyclif Mwamba’s new feature film, The Pawn, praising its storyline, cast and cinematography in a candid Facebook review that turned what social media had cast as a bitter feud into a public show of respect between two of the country’s best-known screen names.
Mr Kazadi said he absolutely loved the storyline and described Mr Mwamba as a phenomenal storyteller, calling that gift a core talent and creative strength nobody can take away from him.
“If you haven’t watched The Pawn yet, you definitely should check it out and support the vision,” he wrote.
The verdict landed barely a week after Mr Kazadi publicly took aim at the film’s troubled premiere, where more than 1,000 film lovers were left unable to watch the screening because of technical issues. In that earlier post, he criticised a culture in which local creators take on every role in a production themselves, and warned that one badly executed project damages the trust of audiences, sponsors and investors for everyone who follows.
“Leveraging someone else’s skills, knowledge, or expertise doesn’t make you weak, it makes you stronger,” he wrote at the time.
Many of his followers braced for a demolition job. What they got instead was a balanced, generous review from a producer who had clearly sat through the whole film and found plenty to like.
Mr Kazadi did not pretend the film was flawless. He said Mr Mwamba may not have the best interpersonal skills and lacks some exposure to certain technical and directing disciplines, but added that his passion for the project comes through clearly on screen, making it obvious why he was so determined to bring The Pawn to life.
On production, he pointed to areas common to most independent films. Dialogue could have been polished further, he said, and some on-set audio recording and volume transitions needed balancing to lift the viewing experience.
Those were small blemishes in his view. The sound glitches, he wrote, do not overshadow the film’s strengths. The cast delivered impressive performances, and several moments of striking cinematography caught his eye.
His warmest praise went to what Mr Mwamba has built beyond the film itself. Launching his own streaming platform, Capstone, was in Mr Kazadi’s words “a stroke of genius”, a smart, forward-thinking move for distribution and creative control in a country that usually suffers from exactly that problem.
He closed the review with a line written in capital letters for emphasis: “NOT ALL CRITIQUE IS SYNONYMOUS WITH HATE!”
The comment section quickly filled with surprise and approval. Mr Luckson Chilambwe Kalambulwa admitted he had expected Mr Kazadi to dismiss the film outright, and said the review showed the value of creatives building one another up.
Mr Tinozye Marvin Ndolo called it maturity at its highest, while Ms Nancy Siame described the review as very mature. Nthombz DanieLz Ngoma tagged Mr Mwamba and told him to take his flowers.
Writing in Bemba, Mr Felix Siya Mukonda marvelled at how quickly the beef between the two men had been settled, joking that Mr Kazadi had ended it in the blink of an eye.
Not everyone overlooked the criticism. Mr Mwewa Juma said the point about interpersonal skills matched his own view exactly, though he too gave credit for a storyline he loved. Mr James Maxmillan Makalani Banda put it simply: “In all honesty, it’s a good movie.”
The loudest call in the thread was for the two filmmakers to work together. Ms Glory Sampa said combining Mr Mwamba’s storytelling with Mr Kazadi’s technical experience could open doors to great things, a view echoed by Mr Kunda Chisenga and Ms Chipo Francine Kapoma.
Mc Heiz framed it in national terms. “We want to see you people working together on certain projects, the win for you guys is the win for the whole Zambia,” he wrote.
For Mr Mwamba, the endorsement arrives at a useful moment. The Ndola-based writer, director and producer rose to prominence with the soapie City on Fire for Zambezi Magic, and his credits also include Payback and Contravene. His Facebook page carries more than 930,000 followers.
He launched The Pawn’s trailer in Lusaka on 30 August before an audience of musicians, filmmakers and producers, and announced plans to feature more musicians in his future productions. The trailer hinted at a story built on power, betrayal and survival, the kind of drama Zambian audiences have long asked local filmmakers to deliver.
For viewers still on the fence, the case is now hard to dispute. A storyline praised even by a rival producer, a cast singled out for strong performances and a home-grown streaming platform built to keep Zambian stories in Zambian hands add up to a film worth an evening of anyone’s time.
Viewers can watch The Pawn on Capstone, Mr Mwamba’s own streaming platform. To find the right link and viewing details, fans should go through Mr Mwamba’s official Facebook page, Wyclif Mwamba, rather than unofficial uploads or forwarded links.
Fans who bought tickets for the disrupted premiere at Levy Mall have not lost out. Mr Mwamba said every ticket bought for that night remains valid and that a new screening date would be announced.
“You shall watch The Pawn,” he told fans.
Anyone searching online should check they have the right film. An American thriller from 1999 with the same title appears on several international streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video and Pluto TV. It is not the Zambian production, which stars Ms Mwaka Mugala and veteran actor Mr Clive Mwape in the leading roles.
Mr Kazadi is also preparing his own red-carpet event on 14 November, for which he said tickets reached 60 per cent capacity in just four days. That gives Zambian film fans two homegrown productions to back before the year closes.
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