South African model and television personality Refilwe Modiselle has bagged a lead role in an international short film, White Gold. She brings to life the story of Mansa, an African woman with albinism.
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Written and directed by award-winning UK based filmmaker Luke Bradford, White Gold short film follows a tragic sequence of events with Mansa played by Refilwe Modiselle getting an arm hacked as the result of misconceptions around this genetic disorder.
She then seeks out Natron, played by a well-known actor Aubrey Makola, a witchdoctor, who robbed her of her security, career and dignity.
White Gold was shot in Walkerville, South of Johannesburg and the film was inspired by a true event that took place in Tanzania, East Africa.
Speaking to IOL, Bradford said: “In 2016, I was shooting a documentary in Tanzania and I met a missionary couple from Texas, who runs an organisation that provides necessary aid for people living with albinism.
Through them, I met a young woman who had both her arms hacked off in her own home.” – Luke told the publication.
Refilwe is no stranger to the television and film industry. She bagged cameo roles in Generations, Check Coast, The River and Tell Me Sweet Something film.
The 34-year-old actress told the publication that the budget wasn’t big for this film, so there was the question of ‘do you do it out of the love of the story or is money a thing for you’ and she went with the story because when she first read the script she knew right then and there that this was the story wanted to be a part of her.
The Soweto-born star further told the publication that she hopes the film will spark necessary conversations around the plight and senseless killings of people with albinism on the continent.
“There is an unnecessary layer of suffering from people with albinism in various parts of Africa. And it’s something that is purely based on greed. And it needs to stop.” – she said
Image Courtesy: instagram.com/refilwemodiselle