“Eight years ago director Mpumi “Supa” Mbele went to watch a live performance of South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo in Joburg Theatre with his son, who had no idea who they were but was amazed by their performance. He turned to his dad and said: “Ah dad, you should tell their story.”
“That’s where the idea started,” the filmmaker tells Variety about the documentary “Music Is My Life,” in which he chronicles the life of the late Joseph Shabalala – from his early years in rural KwaZulu-Natal and his rise to global fame with the iconic group, until his death in 2020. The film, which provides a fresh insight into the man, his ambitions and his band, screens at Joburg Film Festival.”
