Two Zimbabwean Filmmakers selected for South African DFMI Business Lab

Rugare Ponde Faith Riyano — L to R – Rugare Ponde and Faith Riyano

After receiving a record number of applications for the third edition of the DFMI Business Lab, the Durban FilmMart Institute is pleased to announce 35 participants from 22 countries across the continent.

Two of them are Zimbabweans, Faith Riyano and Rugare Ponde.

Riyano is a cinematographer, director and writer. Ponde is a 3D Animator & Production Manager.

The selected participants will undergo a 12-week online business development programme aimed at nurturing and empowering producers with the necessary skills to effectively engage in a global market.

“The Lab is now in its third year. We would like to thank DW Akademie for their continued investment into capacity-building on the African continent,” says Magdalene Reddy, director of DFMI. “In addition to providing filmmakers with the expertise to expand their film career, the lab has created a sense of community between the producers inviting them into a peer-to-peer support system where they are free to share opportunities and learnings as they engage in the film industry.”

The Lab will focus on modules such as Financial management, Business management, Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law, Distribution, and coproduction led by film and creative industry professionals from Burkina Faso, Canada, France, Kenya, South Africa, and the USA.

DFMI Business Lab participants:

Abdifatah Abdi (Somalia)

Boi Beatrice Kenneh (Sierra Leone)

Boris Fredy Agblo (Benin)

Chelsea Art (South Africa)

Doreen R. Kilimbe (Tanzania)

Duwayne Murphy (South Africa)

Emil Garuba (Nigeria)

Faith Riyano (Zimbabwe)

Faye Binetou (Senegal)

François Maree (South Africa)

Ghislaine Kanga (Ivory Coast)