When a missionary led Kweri to discover his film talent

John Kweri’s passion for story-telling dates back to his high school days in Musanze, Northern Province. Back then, he actively participated in his school’s drama productions, taking particular interest in acting, and writing scripts. Such was the impact of this experience on Kweri, that on completion of high school, he made a personal resolution not go out looking for a job, but rather create something of his own, based on his passion at the time. In 2004, he mobilised a group of young people into a theatrical troupe that used theater to create awareness about HIV/AIDS. The following year, he went to Youth With a Mission (YWM), where he found a similar theater group that employed their artistic talents to evangelize. “As a Christian, I prayed to God to help me make the transition from theatre to film,” Kweri remarks. A ray of hope In 2005, while still at Youth With a Mission, he met Valerie, a missionary from Hong Kong who had visited with her group. “Valerie was married to Lee Isaac Chung, an American-Korean filmmaker who she convinced to come to Rwanda to capture its new reality,” Kweri recounts. Unknown to him, this would be the beginning of his dream to transition from theatre to film. “When Chung came, he held a 15-day workshop on filmmaking and photography, and that was my first formal filmmaking experience,” explains Kweri, adding: “After the workshop, we took fifteen more days in the field, shooting Munyurangabo, a film that was later selected in the Cannes International Film Festival in France, in 2007.” “It was my first time to go to an international film festival, and from then I started to get more attracted to film. I met many international filmmakers and superstars of the film industry, and from there I started having a dream,” he remarks. Almond Tree Films In 2008, Chung came back to Rwanda to train Kweri and fifteen other young people in filmmaking. He also came to set up a local affiliate of his US-based film production company, Almond Tree Films, having been impressed by the raw talent he had encountered on his first visit. “Sixteen of us were shortlisted for the post of managing director of the company. I was selected on the strength of my passion for film and my humble character although I did not have any training in both filmmaking and in management. This was the best chance for me to learn on the job.” On the first floor of a neat, little, single-storey structure at Giporoso-Kabeza-Rubirizi sits the home of Almond Tree Films Rwanda. As its managing director, John Kweri comes across as a humble and unassuming boss. In fact, he variously insists on being addressed as a script advisor or art director, not managing director. As a movie collective, Almond Tree Films produces feature and short films, documentaries, and narratives. Its works have featured in numerous international film festivals, a fact for which Kweri is immensely proud: “The films have helped spread not only Rwandan, but also African stories worldwide,” Kweri remarks. The biggest of these projects to date has been Munyurangabo, which addresses the subject of unity and reconciliation in post-1994 Rwanda. In 2007, this feature film earned a nod at the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival in France. That same year, it was selected for the Berlin, Los Angeles and Amsterdam International Film Festivals. Apart from their own in-house productions, Almond Tree Films also trains affiliate filmmakers through four different programmes that run quarterly: the K-Dox (Kigali Documentary Films), which nurtures budding documentary makers; Nib Tolens, which trains technicians, cameramen, editors, plus sound and lighting engineers; and In the Mood, a workshop for aspiring actors and actresses. “Between 2006-9, we were just fifteen young people. After being appointed managing director, I got the idea of starting to train more young people, because there was a shortage of technical people. Since 2009, we have trained ten people, two of whom made short films that were selected at the Tribeca (2011) and other film festivals around the world. They are; Kayambi Musafiri, Clementine Dusabejambo.” Currently he is working on distribution of his new feature film, “Umutoma/Sweet Nothings” and he is producing yet another feature film, “Millenium Madness” by Richard Mugwaneza. Umutoma is a romantic comedy, a daring departure from the bulk of Almond Tree Film’s previous works, which usually centered on the country’s history. It is the story of a young girl in the center of a love triangle; one that pits a rich suitor against one from a poor background. The poor one is the more loving and poetic, while the rich one uses money to advance his cause, a fact that causes her a conflict of interest. The role of the poor man is played by a Member of Parliament Edouard Bamporiki, Kweri’s long time friend-in-struggle. Bamporiki is Deputy, representing the RPF in the Lower Chamber. The two have worked closely, especially from 2006, developing their film and photography skills. “Even before this, we liked to meet in different competitions of poets around the country. In 2007 we went together to the Cannes International Film Festival in France, since he was among the main characters of the film, Munyurangabo which was screened during that Festival and others around the world,” Kweri explains. In 2008, they collaborated on Bamporiki’s feature film; “Where Is the Truth?” The following year, Bamporiki’s story, “Long Coat” was selected and won an award in Africa First Focus Features in the US. He is the main actor of the film, alongside Nirere Ruth (Miss Chanel) a local musician. Bamporiki has also acted in different films produced by international producers, like Kinyarwanda, by Arlick Brown and Ishmael Ntihabose. His artistic view is to “forge unity and reconciliation among Rwandan people”. He is part of the cast of “Urunana”, a local opera show that broadcasts on the BBC. After having completed university in 2012, Kweri’s sights are now set on one thing: “My dream now is to learn more about business management. I want to get a masters, and improve my filmmaking, directing and producing skills. The biggest problem we have is lack of investors in the cinema sector.” *** FILMOGRAPHY MUNYURANGABO (2006, 97 min) – Art Director IWACU “At my home” (2006, 28 min) – Director WHERE IS THE TRUTH (2007, 70 min) – Art Director THE ESCAPE (2008, 5 min) – Director THE LAND OF PETROLEUM (2009, 5 min) – Director A CHOICE (2009, 20 min) – Director THE PASSOVER (in post production) – Art Director& Script Advisor LONG COAT (2009, 61 min) – Production manager & script Advisor MAIBOBO (2010, 30min) – Casting Advisor RWANDA: TAKE TWO (2010) – Associate Producer SAA-IPO (2011) – Art Director LYIZA(2011)- Art Director SHEMA(2011)- Art Director 1935 (2012) – Director UMUTOMA (2014,72min) – Director