When rent is overdue, Stera, a novice thug, turns to robbing members of his community for valuables, or he risks being thrown onto the streets and failing to provide for his five-year-old daughter.
The project is moving forward on a strong working script, with the main immediate challenge being the last few crucial casting decisions — especially the antagonist General Fish. The team is also sharpening the film’s township visual world through scouting for a two-room house, street / alley action spaces, and related neighborhood references.
Table reads and rehearsals are expected once cast availability opens up. Interior and exterior planning are both active priorities, and additional visual-development support is available for scene planning and location reference work.
| Character | Type | Actor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stera 23, broke hustler, Old Naledi. Wound: abandonment. SOS Children's Village. Hyper | Principal | TITAN Kookshotse | cast |
| General Fish Neighborhood kingpin. Dominance through fear. | Principal | — | open |
| Kago General Fish's runner. Carries the briefcase. Gets robbed by Stera. | Principal | — | open |
| Refilwe Tshoganetso | Principal | — | callback |
| Dimakatso Love interest / baby mama. Wants to return to university. Demands child support. | Supporting | — | open |
| Mmastan Landlord. 2 months behind on rent. | Supporting | — | open |
| Oratile Dimbo | Supporting | — | callback |
| Role 8 | Supporting | — | open |
| Role 9 | Supporting | — | open |
| Role 10 | Supporting | — | open |
| Role 11 | Supporting | — | open |
| Role 12 | Supporting | — | open |
| Role 13 | Supporting | — | open |
A fuller biography set has been added internally for Moxaxa. These notes sharpen the emotional world of the film and give casting conversations more specificity. Below are website-safe character snapshots rather than the raw document packet.
A feared neighborhood kingpin whose authority runs on intimidation, volatility, and myth. What makes him more playable is the contradiction: behind the brutality is a man who still shows flashes of care toward vulnerable people in the community.
A mischievous young Chinese hustler with a coder’s brain and an eye for profit. He brings a useful tonal contrast to the film: opportunistic, sharp, and playful, but still anchored by a personal code.
Stera and Dimakatso’s young daughter brings the emotional heart of the story into focus. Her innocence and warmth raise the stakes of every bad decision around her.
| Location | Description | Key Scenes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Naledi Township, Gaborone Primary setting | Poverty-stricken neighborhood. 21st century Botswana. Limited opportunities, hand-to-mouth survival environment. Contemporary vibe with jazz-influenced atmosphere. | External establishing; street scenes; daily life context | confirmed |
| Stera's One-Room House 2.5-room home / bedroom | Modest, lived-in space. Morning scene: Stera wakes up drunk. Confrontation with Dimakatso (baby mama) demanding child support & landlord threatening eviction. Intimate, cramped. Later: isolated room where Stera obsesses over the briefcase. | Act 1 opening; confrontations; Act 3 isolation & obsession | confirmed |
| Street Robbery Location Old Naledi streets | Urban street where Stera spots Kago (General Fish's runner) carrying the briefcase. Must feel authentic to Old Naledi; suitable for violent robbery scene. Potentially witnesses/bystanders. | Violent briefcase robbery; Stera attacking Kago | confirmed |
| General Fish's Territory Crime network hub | Where the kingpin operates. Could be an office, club, safe house, or street corner. Power and control atmosphere. Phone call scene where General Fish threatens Stera. | Crime network operations; implied threat scenes | callback |
| Kago's Operating Ground Briefcase delivery route | Where Kago is intercepted before delivering the briefcase. Must feel realistic to Old Naledi street crime; isolated or busy depending on director's vision. | Briefcase handoff attempt; robbery moment | confirmed |
| Prop / Item | Description & Use | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locked Briefcase The MacGuffin | CENTRAL PROP. Mysterious, locked. Stera steals it from Kago, believing it contains life-changing money. He obsesses over it throughout Act 2 & 3, trying desperately to open it. Creates tension: he believes it's salvation; audience knows it triggers danger. Worn, professional-looking leather or metal case. | Critical | Must be lockable/unlockable on set. Consider weight & durability for action scenes. Final reveal inside could contain money, documents, or nothing (director's choice). Pre-production: design/source authentic briefcase matching crime genre aesthetic. |
| Cash / Money P3000 (rent target) | Stera's goal: P3000 to pay rent + groceries. Appears in Act 1 (landlord demands), throughout as motivation, and potentially inside briefcase. Must feel tangible & substantial visually. | Critical | Source prop money (Pula notes). Act 1: landlord showing bills; Act 2: Stera discovering/counting cash; Act 3: obsessing over locked case contents. Consider denominations visible. |
| Stolen Mobile Phone Briefcase tracking device | Stera steals a phone along with (or in) the briefcase. General Fish calls this phone directly to threaten him. Creates tension: phone ringing = immediate danger. Modern smartphone (realistic to 2020s Botswana). | High | Must be functional for ringing/call scenes. Pre-load with General Fish's number or create fake incoming call. Act 2 climax: phone ringing during Stera's triumphant moment, shattered by direct threat. |
| Rent Notices / Eviction Papers 2 months overdue | Landlord (Mmastan) hands these to Stera in Act 1 confrontation. Visible documents showing debt, dates, legal warnings. Creates urgency & desperation for the heist. | High | Design authentic-looking rental agreements/notices. Include dates, amounts (P3000), landlord name "Mmastan." Crumpled, worn appearance suggests ignored warnings. |
| Child Support / Financial Demands From Dimakatso | Baby mama (Dimakatso) confronts Stera in his room demanding child support. Documents, receipts, or verbal demands establish his financial obligations for 5-year-old daughter. Motivates the entire crime arc. | High | Consider written demands, medical bills, school fees. Physical documents add visual weight to his desperation. Act 1: opening conflict that triggers his decision to rob. |
| Bedroom Furniture Modest, lived-in | Stera's one-room house: bed (where he wakes up drunk), nightstand, possibly a chair. Should feel cramped, poor, authentic to Old Naledi. Later serves as his isolation space obsessing over briefcase. | Medium | Keep minimal; focus on bed as central to opening scene (hungover) and later scenes (briefcase obsession). Worn mattress, simple linens. No luxury items. |
| Stolen Valuables From community robbery | Stera "turns to robbing members of his community for valuables." May include jewelry, electronics, goods, cash taken from victims during petty theft scenes. Visual evidence of his crimes & desperation. | Medium | Design theft sequences: watches, phone, rings, bags, etc. Each robbery escalates his risk. Store as props for crime scene evidence or pawn scenes. |
| Alcoholic Beverages & Glasses Whiskey, beer, etc. | Act 1 opening: Stera wakes up drunk, suggesting night-before drinking. Empty bottles visible. Later: drinking as coping mechanism during Act 2/3 stress. Contemporary Botswana bar/street culture. | Medium | Empty bottles on nightstand; glasses for drinking scenes. Act 1: establish his recklessness & impaired judgment. Act 2/3: stress drinking while obsessing over briefcase. |
| Food / Groceries P3000 budget includes | Stera's rent target of P3000 includes groceries for his 5-year-old daughter. Food items in kitchen/room. Shows his dual obligation: housing + sustenance for family. | Low | Simple, humble groceries (rice, beans, vegetables, bread). Not luxury items. Establishes family responsibility & poverty context. |
| Briefcase Lock / Tools Unlocking attempts | Act 3: Stera "obsessively tries to unlock the briefcase." May use tools, keys, force. Visual montage of desperate attempts. Creates tension & dark comedy around his assumption it contains money. | Low | Consider various tools: screwdrivers, lock picks, hammers, keys (trial & error). Director may choose montage or single climactic attempt. Build frustration visually. |