South African director Mandla Dube, whose film Kalushi is presently playing on Netflix, met in Johannesburg with Ted Sarandon and David Kosse, content officers of Netflix, talking about his upcoming dramatic action feature on Yasuke. Deborah and I have partnered with him to provide research and story consultancy for his project, that will be a Netflix Original African Production.
Yasuke: The Real AfroSamurai is a documentary film about the real life adventure of a Mozambican warrior in the service of the Jesuits in 15th Century Japan. Yasufe, thought to be a Makua warrior, travelled as an aide to a Jesuit priest and became a samurai retainer in the service of the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga.
The name “Yasuke” (彌介) was given to him after he took service with Nobunaga. The travelogue film will examine the mission of the Jesuits, their role in the struggles for trade dominance in East Africa and Asia, and the beginning of the unification of Japan.
While Mandla Dube is developing and prepping for his Yasuke feature film, Netflix has revealed his upcoming Heart of the Hunter,
Professor KANEKO Hiraku of Tokyo University, Mandla Dube and Deborah DeSnoo, meeting in Tokyo to discuss plans for a dramatic feature
South African director Mandla Dube(Kalushi (2016, now on Netflix) at Akira Kurosawa’s grave at An’yō-in Temple, in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Mandla