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One bad piece of work opened doors for Kimanje
Ian Mark Kimanje
What you need to know:
Shining. Ian Mark Kimanje made a bad film that gained him international attention. He has since never looked back, writes Edgar R. Batte
As early as primary school, Ian Mark Kimanje enjoyed dancing and acting. At 15, he wrote a play for a church competition when they called out for Christmas production scripts. Kimanje won and his script was adopted.
As a teenager this boosted his confidence especially when he saw people smile as a result of his creativity. His aspiration from then on was to write a film script. In 2006, he wrote Shomilu, his first feature film which he sent to different production companies around the world. He got responses, good and bad. One European woman wrote, “What is this garbage you have sent me. Who are you? Ghost from hell? Why do you want to waste my time? Never contact me again or I will send my lawyer to your small country and teach you a lesson,” the filmmaker recalls.
Kimanje did not take it personal. He explained himself to the international filmmaker. Today, they are friends. The film got an invitation for the luminary to a European festival where he got exposure to many technicalities in the film world.
10 years later
Kimanje, 29, is a film and television director and producer who has lived in 28 countries. He runs two companies; Film Garage Studios that has created/ produced media content for international clients such as Heineken, European union, produced for Facebook California, Microsoft, Sony pictures, DStv South Africa/ Mnet Africa, and United Nations. He also runs Africa Children’s Television and Film Foundation based in Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Central Africa Republic and Egypt.
“It creates content for children and youth. We are doing a documentary drama series with comedienne Ann Kansiime for the African audience. I have had opportunity to work with and meet top film directors and producers such James Cameron of Titanic and Avatar and other stars,” he explains.
Fulfilling moments
Shomilu, his stepping stone to the world stage earned him $8,000(approx. Shs26.5m). He used this for a UN campaign against female circumcision.
“It surprised me that it was two minutes and got me that much money. It was badly done but got attention. The question was how I could make a better one. I had to get learn,” he recollects.
First he got training from Maisha Film Lab where he learnt some technical aspect of film from international filmmaker Mira Nair. He used the money he had earned to enrol for further training at the Northern Ireland Film Institute for six months. He became keen on attending festivals with focus of practical learning and building networks.
Shomilu is about a girl who falls in love with a boy whose culture partly requires that she gets circumcised before they get married. Kimanje had earlier on heard on radio that there were sections of society that promoted circumcision of girls. He picked interest and decided to do a film about it as a way of publicising what he terms a barbaric act.
First, he went to Kapchorwa where they practice female genital mutilation (FGM) to do research. There, he met Beatrice Chelangat, a crusader against FGM, who has dedicated time to fight the vice. She is one of the many recognised as champions by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a UN agency that promotes fulfilment of potential realisation of youth and women.
“When I returned from Kapchorwa, I was eager to make a film,” the filmmaker recounts. He shared the idea with his cousin, Adam Majoba, who ran a documentary-making studio. They partnered and produced Shomilu.
UNFPA was doing a project to create awareness of FGM in Africa and they selected his film. He adds, “I remember the email from either New York or Geneva.”
What he pleasures in
From his various submissions, the film also won European-African film festival awards in the Short Film category. For the filmmaker, awards do not excite him anymore.
“Now I see it as an unprofessional piece of work. I made many mistakes but I still respect it because it gave me a chance to start my career,” he recalls. He did Great Writer to improve his craft.
Kimanje registered Trutrifilms, a television and film marketing company, in 2010. A company meant to professionalise his work. He later changed the company name to Film Garage Studios.
In 2014, he registered ACTFF, another company based in South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Central African Republic. Prior to its registration, he had worked on an Australian movie as an assistant and intern at the production company of Robin Kershaw, an Australian independent film and television producer, best known for her work on feature drama. Actff creates content for African children.
Passion
While doing his internship with Kershaw, he learnt how to develop Children’s Court House television series. This spurred him to initiate talks with Australian Children’s Television Foundation, for further training. He went on and helped Carol Kamya, a friend and filmmaker, to market Imani, a movie that got recognition in some African film festivals. He practiced patience.
When he read Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven, at 15, he learnt how to plan and focus. He says, “My passion is driven by love because my uncle had given me tuition for my school and I used it for shooting Shomilu. I later regained it when I won money.” He creates content which he sells to different countries.
Away from filmmaking
Ian Kimanje loves children. His mother introduced him to loving people and God.
“Today, I look after about 12 children and I’m trying to be a more loving and listening guardian,” he says. Two of the 12 are his relatives and others friends he has met from charity visits to different places.
He met three through a friend from Australia who also contributes to some charities in Uganda and then some through visits he made with his girlfriend to children’s charities. The filmmaker is the last born and an only boy in a family of five.
