works
Watch my films — and projects in the pipeline.
about
A Rwandan filmmaker based in Montreal, Alumni of Berlinale Talents, Durban Talents, attended Maisha film labs and laureate of the “Fonds Jeune Création Francophone”
A filmmaker, with an ARDENT love of CREATion.
From 2007, under the mentorship of the Oscar-nominated director, Lee Isaac Chung, spent 4 years working in the development, production, and post of a dozen films by fellow Rwandan filmmakers, among others Joel Karekezi, Marie Clementine Dusabejambo, and Samuel Ishimwe. These films have been featured in Variety, screened, and won awards at prestigious film festivals such as Tribeca, Sundance, Fespaco, Toronto, Venice, Clermont-Ferrand, Carthage, Milano, and many more.
In 2011, wrote and directed the first short film, NOTA BENE, which premiered at the Afrika Film Festival in Belgium, screened at Leuven Museum in 2012 and by the Goethe Institut in Burnika Faso at the 2013 FESPACO (Africa in Motion segment).
In 2013, wrote and directed a medium-length film CHORA CHORA, which premiered at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival in California, distributed on MNET (Africa Magic) in South Africa, and later screened at FESTICAB in Burundi.
In 2017, wrote, co-directed, and co-produced a feature film A SEED OF MEMORIES, which premiered at ZIFF, Zanzibar, won a tribute to Rwandan cinema award at the Khouribga African Film Festival in Morocco and screened in the feature film competition at the Luxor African Film Festival. The film was produced by Oscar-Nominated director: Martin Mhando and acquired by Azam Media for distribution.
In 2018, made DARBAKA, a short documentary that was produced during the directors’ workshop at the Luxor African Film Festival, mentored by Egyptian film director, Khairy Beshara,
Currently (2019), developing a feature narrative, MUNTU (Formally MITUWELI), awarded the “Fonds Jeune Création Francophone” development fund supported by CNC, SODEC, TELEFILM CANADA, The province of QUEBEC and the SACD; and obtained a writing residency at L’INIS (L’Institut National de l’Image et du Son) in Montreal.
Always freelancing with fellow artists’ projects such as Lots of Laughs by Tess Martens and Holly Timpener in 2021, coordinating the cinema section of the Festival du Bonheur de Montreal 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 making ghost projects including character documentaries such as Hills, made in Rwanda in 2019 and Neo Ancienne in production at the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec in 2020.
Alumni of the Berlinale Talents at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie, Berlin
Alumni of the Durban Talent Campus in Durban, South Africa.
Alumni of the Maisha Screenwriting Labs, by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair.
Alumni of the Luxor Filmmakers’ lab, in Egypt,
stories
Why these 3 usual films got me weeping, yet I am not a crier.
For more than 20 years, my emotions’ safe was uncrackable, until I watched a very cliché scene in a typical Hollywood thriller and started crying. I paused the film, checked myself, and walked around my house, sweeping tears off my cheeks. I classified that uncanny moment as a glitch, an isolated case. A few months…
About Me
Hi, I’m Richard. People call me a passionate filmmaker, I consider myself a resilient one. Here I write about my inspirations, my experiences and aspirations.
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Videography
Creative and Cinematic videography services, on a freelance basis. For fellow artists, brands and non-profits.
Wedding Films
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Richard Mugwaneza 