O’Lorato Masalesa’s “Letter To Society” film which was released on February 2022 invites a more imaginative way of considering the way people live in the expectations of the society. The thing that inspired O’Lorato Masalesa while creating making ‘Letter To Society’, her experimental short film, is that most black women live by the definition of society. “Women still live by the expectations of the society and that actually helped me create this very short experimental fi¬lm,” said Masalesa, the Executive Producer of the Letter To Society.
The film that was shot in Lomanyaneng and Magogoe Koikoi, Mahikeng, has had an impact on people’s lives because it is relatable and helps people, especially black women and the LGBTQIA+ community to have a voice. “Ever since the release I’ve been getting responses, where some people actually see themselves in the fi¬lm, some recognise the issues they are facing in their community or society as a whole. So, its impact has been really great where it was able to speak for those who don’t have a voice or those who don’t have the right platform” said Masalesa.
After receiving responses from the people who can relate to the fi¬lm and need help regarding their issues, Masalesa usually normally refers them to NGO’s and different types of organisations like the Gay Umbrella (North West) that are about human rights and LGBTQIA+ drive.
She also assists others who are interested in filmmaking by referring them to organisations like the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) which provide training for aspiring filmmakers.
The short film has been selected in various fi¬lm festivals such as The Shorts Film Festival (Nigeria), National Arts Festival (South Africa), MUD International fi¬lm festival (India), Non-Fungible Awards International Film Festival (India), Thokoza Film Festival (South Africa) for best short film and the uMgungundlovu Film Festival (South Africa).
