Rwandan music pioneer Jacques Murigande, also known as Mighty Popo, turned himself into a script writer and let his inspirations drive him until he brought to life ‘Killer Music’, a star-studded music-based film that navigates the unsafe waters of fame, power and a deadly murder plot that threatens to topple their empire.

The two-and-a-half-hour film, whose release is scheduled in December, was produced and directed by Anirban Mitra, an Indian filmmaker based in Rwanda, while Mighty Popo stands out as the executive producer of the whole project.

"I had to sell my car, my plot of land to make that this project succeeds,” said Might Popo during the trailer screening.

The story and inspiration

‘Killer Music’ features an ensemble cast from Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya entangled in the high-stakes drama of a music label mired in betrayal and secrets.

The story unfolds within the turbulent world of Killer Music, a label managed by Sano along with partners Kimmy, Rumata, and Nina. Artists Sine and Mwiza find themselves entangled in label politics, facing pressures of new music creation and complex contract negotiations. Parallel to their story, detective Gisa engages in a rogue battle against crime, leading to unintended consequences that implicate many, including the daughter of the influential Kamali.

As crimes intertwine with the music business, Ira, newly freed from prison, is pulled into a murder investigation that reveals deep-rooted corruption within the label, implicating the powerful Kamali as the orchestrator. The climax sees dramatic confrontations and tragic downfalls, culminating in a powerful prison choir performance led by Shannon and Mwiza, symbolizing the redemptive power of art in chaos.

According to film director Mitra, the thriller navigates the gritty realities of the music industry and the criminal underworld, exploring themes of power, betrayal, and redemption, leaving audiences on edge and craving the next chapter in this gripping saga.

A great deal for Rwandan film industry

Although he was not precise about the budget, Mitra said that the making of the whole film project cost more than Rwf 100 million.

It’s a budget that Mighty Popo and his team dedicated to the project to produce a movie with a package that everyone would appreciate and get to be interested with more movies produced by Rwandan filmmakers.

"This might be the first Rwandan feature produced in such a professional way like this. Much efforts and resources were invested in this project, especially in quality footages, scripts and acting, so that its standards can fit on big platforms like Netflix and show not only the beauty of Rwanda but also what Rwandan film industry stands for in the eyes of the cinema world,” Might Popo said.

"I think it meets all requirement of a professional film,” he added.

Locations and casting

The film was shot in various locations in Rwanda, Uganda and a part of Kenya.

Some scenes in Rwanda were shot in Kigali, Karongi. Others were taken in Kampala, Entebbe and Jinja in Uganda.

The film features more than 300 creatives. Starring in it are renowned actors like Kenya’s Serah Wanjiru, Simon Kalema from Uganda and Rwanda’s Patrick Mugisha, TV personality Luckman Nzeyimana and Vianney Kayumba commonly known as ‘Manzi’ in Rwandan cinema industry, among others.

Mitra told The New Times that ‘Killer Music’ was produced with a purpose for East Africans to feel connected and related, even though it is a Rwandan movie, he wanted everyone in the East African region to feel as much as connected.

"It is a Rwandan movie but I tried to give it a look of East Africa where people in the region can relate and be like ‘ah, that is my place [in the movie] and feel like ‘this is our movie’,” he said.

According to renowned Rwandan actor Kayumba, who was part of the movie casting, the making of the film was successful highlighting on great experience he gained as an actor who has been in the industry for a while.

"I would not be lying if I say that this is the only set that is different compared to all that I have been part of, whether local or international. Given that the big number of technical teams were Rwandan and performed professionally and efficiently, it's quite impressive,” Kayumba said.

Challenges

Among the challenges mentioned by the film director is the skills gap existing in various departments of filmmaking.

He said that there is a need of a film academy which makes it not easy to find on set sound recordists, set designers, film makeup artists and costume designers who understands designing costumes for a film which brings many challenges during the making of the film.

He also said that there is much need in building talents in Rwanda.

Given that Rwanda’s film industry is still on the rise, he said, there needs to be people to give it a shape and they have already started.

The film's soundtrack was composed by Mighty Popo, Clement Ishimwe, Joachim Mugengakamere (It's the major) and Nehemiah Shami, engineered by Blameless and performed by the gifted students of Nyundo Music School. Medy Saleh