RUNGANO NYONI | INTERVIEW
Up and coming director Rungano Nyoni talks to Alistair Corless about her route into the film industry and the Watch-Africa Welsh African Film Festival.
“I always say that Welsh people are similar to Zambians in a way. Zambians are friendly, have little pretence and what you see is what you get.”
With Watch-Africa’s Welsh African Film Festival coming to Cardiff this week returns the Bafta nominated writer and director Rungano Nyoni. The critically acclaimed director will be hosting a scriptwriting workshop as part of the weeklong event and whilst she now spends much of her time in London, the filmmaker credits her Anglo-Welsh-Zambian heritage for making her the person she is today.
“I come from a mish mash of backgrounds, Zambia, South Wales and I also studied in England and moved around a whole lot and they all inevitably influenced my story telling.”
Nyoni’s path into directing is both an interesting and intriguing one. After graduating from her first degree in Business Studies, the Zambian born star moved to London to study acting part-time. A few years on and Nyoni then popped over the channel to Paris in an attempt to further her education in acting. It was, however, not until she undertook a Masters in Screen (Acting Pathway) at the Central Saints Martins College of The Arts that her talent for directing began to flourish.
“Although I really liked acting I didn’t have as much passion for it as I did for directing. You get to boss people about, which I enjoy! Directing or writing, you get to be in control and that’s what appeals to me..really…I am a total control freak and so naturally I inevitably dropped acting and started writing and making my own films.”
“put down your 3D glasses, forget Gravity,
catch it on iplayer next year and come and watch
a bunch of films you probably won’t get to see again”
With a Bafta award nomination (Mwansa the Great, 2011) and a Bafta Cymru win (The List, 2009) under her belt, the African star is gaining global recognition. Some of Nyoni’s films, such as Mwansa the Great, are set in Zambia. Rather than present the negative issues that have blighted African society, Nyoni chooses to celebrate the spirit of the people of the African nation through her filmmaking. It is these personal and varied presentations of African life that an event such as the Wales-Africa festival showcases.
“These types of festivals means people get to see beyond their worlds and understand something about the people of Africa beyond negative headlines or stereotypical images. So of course they are important. It surprises me how little people know about things that happen in the continent. It’s nice to be able to share our stories.”
Regarding the festival, Nyoni shares her excitement at the range of African film that is on offer:
“The festival is screening the best of African films to come out of the continent. Nairobi Half Life was selected as the Kenyan entry for the Oscars. Tey (Today) has won many awards around the world, including FESPACO and it won best director at Dubai Film Festival in 2012.
“All I can say to people is put down your 3D glasses, forget Gravity, catch it on iplayer next year and come and watch a bunch of films you probably won’t get to see again. This is it…they’ve come to you….alright?”
words: ALISTAIR CORELESS
Welsh African Film Festival, various venues around Cardiff, Sat 30 Nov – Sat 7 Dec. Tickets: £2 – £7. Info: www.watch-africa.co.uk