Female filmmaker Karen Mukwasi defies odds
Karen Mukwasi

Karen Mukwasi

Pamenus Tuso
Female filmmakers continue to make significant strides despite facing numerous challenges in the male dominated Zimbabwe filmmaking industry.

One female filmmaker who has defied all odds and managed to make a mark in the industry is 36-year-old Karen Mukwasi.

After working for the International Images Film Festival for seven years under the mentorship of one of Zimbabwe’s top filmmakers, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Mukwasi gained the much needed experience and knowledge in film producing and directing.

“It’s not easy as a woman to be a successful filmmaker in Zimbabwe because traditionally the industry is not a women’s space. I worked with Tsitsi for seven years but you also find out that as a woman and feminist, the space is a bit difficult to penetrate because other women have had to compromise their ideals,” said Mukwasi who is also a professional communicator.

Mukwasi said the film industry has among other challenges, the problem of sexual harassment and exploitative tendencies.

“There’re a lot of stories where young women are sexually harassed. The working conditions for women in the industry also need to be improved because women sometimes leave this industry because the working environment is not conducive and talent is lost in the process,” said Mukwasi.

The mother of two also decried funding challenges in the industry. She said many filmmakers in the country were struggling to finance  their productions because funding in most cases is conditional.

“The financing of the film industry in Zimbabwe is very difficult. Many Zimbabwean filmmakers are working on development films because they have to go for development funding which focuses mainly on particular projects such as HIV/Aids.

“You find out that this conditional funding compromises on creativity because at the end of the day, there’ll be many filmmakers doing the same project.”

Mukwasi said for the industry to be stable and vibrant, filmmakers need to come together and devise independent and sustainable funding mechanisms.

She applauded filmmakers for coming up with the Zimbabwe Film Industry Development Platform which is a lobby platform for the independent funding for filmmakers.

“Independent funding enables the artiste to start with the story, unlike conditional funding which makes one start with the issue. With the story, people will learn from your film and that is a bonus.”

In collaboration with six other Zimbabwean young leaders who have received training from the United States Department of State under different fellowship programmes, they have come up with an advocacy campaign “Conversation with our Fathers” which calls for fathers and men to play a positive role in creating safe spaces for women and girls, starting in the home where family violence cases are high.

Some of the young leaders involved in the project include Yvonne Jila, Sizhakeke Mukwedini, Sizwile Nyamande, Moses Semwayo and Thomas Sithole.

The Conversation with our Fathers project has resulted in the six coming up with a short film on positive fatherhood. The film has already been shown in areas such as Bulawayo, Harare and Mutare.

The film which is titled Mukanya is also expected to be showcased in places like Gwanda and Plumtree.

“This film depicts scenarios that encourage fathers to think about a gender-based violence free society. It encourages them to promote the advancement of their partners and daughters, socially, economically and politically,” said Mukwasi.

She said the film is inspired by the positive stories of South African men who took part in the Men Care positive parenting classes and are now role models in their families and communities.

Mukwasi is also working on a documentary that focuses on the problems of informal traders on the streets.

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