Story by Colette Musanyera
Veteran local film producer and director, Marian Kunonga has raised the flag high after she received an award at the African Women in Arts and Film Festival held in Zambia over the weekend.
An ecstatic Kunonga said, “I was recently awarded at the fifth edition of African Women in Arts and Film Festival held in Zambia, an annual festival that recognises African women who are making a difference in the film industry. I was recognised for my films and also for the role I’m playing in educating people with disabilities on how to make films. The award is so empowering and it gives me the motivation to continue working hard.”
She said the award also shows that her work as a filmmaker is not only impacting her country, but that it shows that “we are on the right path in as far as the Zimbabwean film industry is concerned”.
Kunonga highlighted the need for local filmmakers to participate in regional and international festivals, which are a platform for learning and networking.
Kunonga joined a regional film stable, New Dawn Films in 2007 as an assistant director and is famed for playing a leading role in the production of a multi-award-winning film called Seasons of Life as well as The Last Fishing Boat, which won two awards and was voted one of the top ten films of 2013 by Microsoft Service Network.
