Tendaiishe (Tendai) Chitima

Tendaiishe Chitima
Tendaiishe Chitima
Born	Tendaiishe Chitima
Education	University of Cape Town (SA)
Alma mater	Wits Business School (SA)
Occupation	Artist
Known for	Playing the lead role as Anesu in Cook Off directed by Tomas Lutuli Brickhill

Tendaiishe Chitima is a Zimbabwean actress and presenter best known for her role as Blessing Moyo, a new student from Nairobi, Kenya, in the SABC1 drama series Mutual Friends.

Background

Tendaiishe has worked as a runner in film production and gained experience in editing, conceptualisation and on-set management. She also has practice as a copywriter with a press advertising company and has received a radio production skills training certificate. The scripts she wrote were aired on national radio and concepts published in national press in Zimbabwe.^[1]

Education

She attended Gateway High School for her secondary education. For her tertiary education she was enrolled at the following institutions and the qualifications attained:

Wits Business School (Johannesburg, South Africa) - Master of Business Administration Graduate (July 2019)
Warsaw School of Economics (Warsaw, Poland) - MBA Erasmus Exchange Student: Marketing Elective Courses (Sept 2018 – Feb 2019)
Wits Business School (Johannesburg, South Africa) - Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (2017)
University of Cape Town (Cape Town, South Africa) - Bachelor of Arts in Drama, Film, Media & Writing - Dean’s Merit List (2012)

Career

After graduating from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Film, Media & Writing and Drama, she was placed on the Dean's Merit List for Academic Achievement. During and after her studies she acted in student short films, most notably Jayson's Hope, which was a Top 10 finalist for the Afrinolly Short Film Competition 2013 in Nigeria.

Her love for the performing arts led her to join a creative team as conceptualiser, song writer, co-director and actress for two musical stage productions: "Love. Silence. Victory" (2012) and "Guess who's Coming to Dinner" (2013), for the His People church at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town.

Tendaiishe has worked as a runner in film production and gained experience in editing, conceptualisation and on-set management. She also has practice as a copywriter with a press advertising company and has received a radio production skills training certificate. The scripts she wrote were aired on national radio and concepts published in national press in Zimbabwe. In 2016 she was the co-host of the ZBC reality competition series Zimbabwe's Greatest Talent, credited by her stage name "Tensugars".

In early 2016 she landed her first acting role in television as Blessing Moyo, a new character (and potential love interest for Jabu) introduced in the second season of the SABC1 drama series Mutual Friends. In September 2016 she began a recurring role on the SABC3 soapie Isidingo as Adelaide, an orphan from Zimbabwe who finds herself at the mercy of Nina (Khabonina Qubeka) in a human trafficking storyline.

Experience

Film

Jayson’s Hope (2013) - Supporting Lead (Mary) / RSA/ dir. Fortune Onyedikachi
Evelyn and Tapiwa (2014) - Lead (Tapiwa) /RSA/ dir. Samantha Nell
Cook Off (2017) - Lead (Anesu) /Zimbabwe/ dir. Tomas Lutuli Brickhill
Gonarezhou (2018) - Supporting Lead (Thulo) /Zimbabwe/ dir. Sydney Taivavashe
Into Infinity (2018) - Supporting Lead (Angela Tsitsi)/ RSA/ dir. Brendan Campbell

Television

Ties That Bind Us (2018) - As herself/ RSA/ Full Circle Prod/ dir. Director Kit
Guilt (2018) - Lead (Consolation)/ RSA/ Coalstove Prod/ dir. Various
Binnelanders (2017) - Featured (Teleza) /RSA/ Stark Films/ dir. Various
iNumber Number (2017) - Featured (Sinobuhle) /RSA/ Quizzical Pic/ dir. Various
Fifty (2017) - Featured (Efy) /Nigeria/ Ebony TV/ dir. Akin Omotoso
Isidingo (2016) - Featured (Adelaide) /RSA/ Endemol/ dir. Various
Mutual Friends S2 (2016) - Lead (Blessing) /RSA/ MVP Prod/ dir. Norman Maake
Zimbabwe’s Greatest Talent - Presenter /Zimbabwe/Honde Valley/dir. Moses Matanda

Theatre

The Convert by Danai Gurira - Associate Director/UK/ ADC Theatre/ Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club (2019)
The Language Archive by Julia Cho - Supporting Lead (Emma) /Zimbabwe/ Almasi Collaborative Arts – Stage Reading/ dir. Zaza Muchemwa (2018)
Bloom Flame Lily Bloom - Lead (Ruvarashe) /Zimbabwe/ Rooftop Productions/ dir. Daves Guzha (2018)
Love and Silence - Lead (Herself) /RSA/Baxter Theatre/ dir. Chiko Chamanga & Melina Ojiambo (2013)
Guess who’s coming to dinner - Lead (Herself) /RSA/Baxter Theatre/ dir. Chiko Chamanga & Melina Ojiambo (2012)
The Lion, the Tortoise & the Crow - Various Animals/RSA/Clanwilliam Festival & UCT/ dir. Lavona Debruyn (2011)

Notes:

Co-director of stage plays at the Baxter Theatre, 2012 & 2013
Jayson’s Hope, Top 10 Finalist - Afrinolly Short Film Competition 2013, Nigeria
Evelyn and Tapiwa official festival selection: Durban International Film Festival 2015, International Images Film Festival for Women 2016
Cook Off official festival selection 2018: International Film Festival Rotterdam, Seattle Film Festival, Durban International Film Festival, Zimbabwe International Film Festival, Montreal Black Film Festival, Silicon Valley African Film Festival, Cannes Pan African Film Festival, Afrika Film Festival Leuven.

Cook Off UK Promo Tour Screenings 2019: Premiere at the May Fair Hotel (London); Primadonna Festival (Suffolk); Yanga TV Studios (London); University of Oxford (Oxford).

Into Infinity, Premiered at Comic Con Africa 2018
Agent: Moonyeen Lee Associates (MLA), South Africa

2020 Creative Business Consultant STA Performance

Apr 2020 – Present (2 months)

Lighting up fires in young leaders and artists around the world.

2019 Narachi Leadership: Personal Mastery Immersion Master of Body workshop facilitator

The exclusive event was hosted by Rachel Nyaradzo Adams, an ontological coach and leadership practitioner whose acclaimed work with leaders in Africa is transformative and unique. I facilitated a session on breath, voice, body and movement all drawing from acting and drama principles.

2018 Ndiani Studios Screenwriter, Working Wives

Co-writer of an upcoming fictional series about the intricate and complex lives of working class women in Harare, Zimbabwe.

2016-2017 NPO Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT), Johannesburg, South Africa Sisterhood Cinema Events Conceptualiser and Co-ordinator

Management of a volunteer team which facilitated, conceptualized and implemented strategies to advocate, showcase and support women driven television & film productions, especially those that seek to tell authentic realities of women in our world today.
Our team created the Girls Go to Cinema Campaign which funds first time trips to the cinema for young girls from previously disadvantaged backgrounds (supported by the National Film and Video Foundation).

2015 -2016 Galago, Johannesburg, South Africa Sales & Marketing Assistant

2015 Miracleworks Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa Copywriter, editor & content researcher

Worked on creative content for corporate websites, publications, and adverts - digital and print.
Edited manuscripts and books for publication.

2014 Three Ring Circus (3RC), Johannesburg, South Africa Road Show Host & Brand Ambassador

The Rocking Future Roadshow & Yo Future shows for matriculants in over 100 Gauteng schools - organised by 3RC in partnership with Nedbank, Junior CEO and Global Education.
As a ‘two-man’ hosting team we aimed to educate, motivate and inspire students on the vastly diverse tertiary and career opportunities waiting them soon after matric.

2013 Echoledge Productions, Cape Town, South Africa Runner and Production Assistant

Duties included film pre- production, video editing, creative conceptualisation and on-set cast & crew management.

Other Part Time/ Student/ Volunteer Work

Film Introduction Facilitator at the Cambridge African Film Festival 2019, United Kingdom
Screenings Facilitator at the Jozi Film Festival 2015, South Africa
Intern at advertising agency - Global Brands Zimbabwe, 2012
PA for UCT Student Representative Council Member: Health, Safety and Security 2012
Hostess/MC and photographer for various events and shows.

Additional Information

Speaker and Facilitator of a unique workshop at the 20th Zimbabwe International Film Festival titled, “The New Conversation: Branding and Marketing Through Storytelling” in September 2018.
One of three panelists on OXFAM's Youth leading Africa dialogue: "Reimagining Africa, building people’s power - strategies and opportunities for a new future for Africa’s people!" in May 2017, South Africa.
Featured in social awareness campaign #Singabantu (We Are Human), film created to challenge the negative stereotypes of foreigners in South Africa. "I am Migrant" PLURAL + United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Winner 2017, the only African winner at festival.
Published poet: Young Writers Creativity Award winner with two poems published in Young Writers anthologies, 2006 & 2007 in the United Kingdom.

Awards

Best Zimbabwean Actress, Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF) 2018;
National Arts Merit Awards Outstanding Actress (NAMA) 2019
Honours Grade in the Vocal and Instrumental Festival awarded by the National Institute of Allied Arts, 2007/2008 in Zimbabwe.
Former athlete: Victrix Ludorum 2003 and 2006 Most Outstanding Sportswoman of the Year, Gateway High School, Zimbabwe.