Africa First 2009 Winners

 

   








STEPHEN ABBOTT  |  SOUTH AFRICA
Stephen Abbott is a writer, director, photographer and editor. He likes travel, coffee, stories, mountains, movies, music, and some other things.
   











MATT BISHANGA  |  UGANDA
Matt Bishanga aims to transform Ugandan filmmakers into great international filmmakers. He speaks excellent English and Dutch and some local languages in Uganda. He's a former student at Makerere University in the school of architecture, which he attended for four years but dropped it in favor for film, which he embarked on in the Netherlands. Matt returned to Uganda in 2005 after 8 years in Holland to set up a media production company that today has produced numerous television commercials, music videos, documentaries and a feature film. He's currently lecturing filmmakers and actors around the country on how to improve their skills. Matt is producing his first feature film, "Battle of the Souls". He assembled an amateur cast and crew to produce what happens to be Uganda's first feature film entirely done by Ugandans. The film has gone on to win very many accolades some of which include, Best East African Film, Best editing, Best achievement in Visual Effects, Best supporting actor etc. This has fueled many Ugandans to start filmmaking which is Matt's goal to ensure that the industry grows so we can tell our stories and improve on tourism.
 











DAOUDA COULIBALY  |  MALI
Daouda Coulibaly is a Malian-French director. He started his career in audiovisual editing. Inspired by a traditional tale, A HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE/IL ETAIT UNE FOIS L'INDEPENDANCE is his first short film.
   











MATTHEW JANKES  |  SOUTH AFRICA
Matthew Jankes is an aspiring filmmaker born and raised in South Africa. He studied film through the University of Cape Town and the South African School of Motion Picture Medium (AFDA), training in writing, directing and cinematography. In between making short films he directs, shoots and edits music videos. He is currently doing a re-write on a feature length script, with a view to hopefully direct it in mid 2011. He is a big sports fan and his second love, other than movie making, is too argue about politics with anyone who'll listen.
   











RUNGANO NYONI  |  ZAMBIA
Rungano Nyoni was born in Lusaka Zambia, Rungano meaning Story or Storyteller in the Shona Tribe. Coming from a theatre background she only started directing films in 2006. Her first film was called 'Yande' (My Great Happiness in Bemba), a film she wrote and shot on black and white super 8mm that dealt with the fashion for African Women who westernised their appearance and mannerisms in order to conform to an 'ideal'. The narrative was taken from the writings of French philosopher, Michel de Montaigne, from his extract, 'On the Cannibals'. She draws heavily from Docu-Drama style of Directing and is very actor driven in the way she approaches her filmmaking using a lot of devising and improvisational techniques in her films. Her influences include Shane Meadows, Danny Boyle, Coppolla and Isabelle Huppert. Her favourite films include Festen, The Fall and La Pianiste (the Piano Teacher).