Very little is known about you. What’s your world like?
I am an energetic filmmaker who loves to tell stories. I am a director and cinematographer. I have done countless projects; from films, documentaries, TV commercials to music videos. Recently, I ventured into film production. My first ever job as a producer earned me an award. It was a short film, My Faith, which won the Best East African Film during the Mashariki Film Festival. I was the producer while Bruce Makau directed it.
‘Bait,’ the film which you directed, was showcased at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. How did you achieve that?
The film is part of the 48-hour film project. Bait was first screened in Nairobi and we were fortunate enough to scoop the top award then represented Nairobi at the Filmapalooza Festival 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was selected as one of the top 15 films that will be representing Filmapalooza at the Cannes Film Festival. We were also the only African film on the list, which was quite impressive.
Tell us more about the 48-Hour Film Project, how does it work?
The 48-Hour Film Project is an annual film festival that challenges filmmakers to write, shoot, edit and deliver a film in exactly 48 hours. It is a worldwide event with participants drawn from all over the world. The rules are simple. Each team is provided with a genre, prop, character and line of dialogue that they must use in a seven-minute short film. Teams have exactly 48 hours to produce a short film with what they have been provided. It is an intense challenge.
How did you first get involved with the 48-Hour Film Project and ‘Bait?’
The Nairobi edition is organised by a producer called Carol Kioko who made it happen here. After her thorough marketing, we decided to take part in the competition.
What is ‘Bait’ all about?
I don’t want to give out too much, all I can tell you is that the film revolves around an extra-marital affair that goes horribly wrong. It stars Jacky Kaboi, Millicent Ogutu and Brian Byaruhanga who did an excellent job considering the tight deadline.
What other projects have you worked on?
I have done TVC (television commercial) adverts for Pascha milk and Santa Maria. I have directed nine Africa Magic Original Films (AMOF); I directed a TV sitcom titled Classmates and now, I am doing Auntie Boss series that airs on NTV.
I have done cinematography for Sarabi Band music videos, most notably Tumechoka and Haujali, as well as a music video that I love titled, Loneliness by Liron. We formed our company Kibanda Pictures way back in 2013, and we have done a number of short films, most of which are online such as Between The Lines (which screened originally at IMAX), The Friend and a musical titled The Audition (which was part of the 48-Hour-Film Project in 2014).
Have you ever won any award for your work?
Since we started our company two years ago, we have received 16 awards and close to 20 other nominations. We have two Kalasha Awards, five Riverwood Academy awards, two Mashariki Film Festival awards and seven 48-Hour Film Project awards. We also received a nomination at the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards 2015.
Do you have any formal training in filmmaking?
I actually have no formal training at all. I am a high school dropout. I was not able to complete school because of financial reasons. Most of what I have learned is via the internet, on set experience and just making films. We always joke with my pals that we are YouTube university graduates’.
What’s your career high so far?
Cannes, Cannes, Cannes! It is still surreal to me.
What about your lowest career moment?
I lost a lucrative job when it was found out that I am a high school dropout. It really put me down for a while, but I decided that’s the motivation I needed to pick myself up and work even harder to the point that my ‘dropout’ status isn’t an issue.
How was your childhood like?
I was born in Russia and we are a family of four. I have one sister and two brothers. I came to Kenya when I was four years old. I was close to my mum and a very independent child. I would run off on weekends to watch a movie at those movie ‘theatre’ kibandas in Kibera, where we used to live. This was the inspiration for the name of my film production company, Kibanda Pictures.
What projects do you have lined up this year?
We are working on our first feature film.
