The Gems of Zimbabwe (Netball team), have over the years taken the hearts of the nation with their spirited play at international events of the sport.
A documentary showcasing their journey was done by an independent group of filmmakers, and it sets a great outlook of the passion and heart the ladies have for the sport.
Speaking to the executive producer of the documentary, , indicated why this was important task to do.
“Selfishly as a producer there was a golden story nobody had worked on before.” Chris Chenga stated
“As a human, I was intrigued by what I could find, especially after I first met the Gems in camp. It just seemed like the backgrounds of these ladies was interesting. I wanted to know what drove them. I wanted to know how they overcame whatever it is were their personal battles to get to national team level. It was just so many angles of curiosity that I knew would make an interesting production.” he added
“But mostly, I knew the production would have a lasting effect, because there are different issues to expand on after this.”
You can watch the full documentary below;
‘Expectations is a documentary that tells the story of the Zimbabwe Netball national team, the Gems’, pursuit to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup appearance. The documentary tells the story from the perspective of Claris Kwaramba, the 23 year old Vice Captain of the Gems. Claris narrates on the infrastructure around netball in Zimbabwe, the family backgrounds of some of the players, and how the team came together to do the seemingly impossible.’
Asked about the future productions or stories, Chris had this to say;
“Nothing in the works right now. This project took so much concentration and resources that it closed off any attention to anything else.
After such a production, it is necessary to take time to reflect. It was a project that ended up demanding introspect of what this job really means to me personally, and it’s contribution to society that watches these productions.”
The production team included the following;
Executive Producers
Chris Chenga
Musa Chenga
Producer
Michelina Chindinya
Rutendo Kaseke
Editor
Jasper Mhishi