Here comes Kenya’s most influential female filmmaker
Dr Anne Mungai, a Kenyan film director with some of the awards she has won in the course of her work during an interview at Kenyatta University.
What you need to know:
- Dr Anne Mungai was recognised as The Most Influential Woman in Film at The Women in Film Awards.
- Her spark for film was ignited at Butere Girls’ High School where she was the school head girl.
- She sought to study film to acquire skills that would help her tell the African woman’s story in a dignified manner.
It was no surprise that Dr Anne Mungai was recognised as The Most Influential Woman in Film at The Women in Film Awards (Wifa) which took place at the Kenya Cultural Centre on March 10.
Dr Mungai has contributed almost two decades to telling the African story through the eyes of an African woman. As a firm believer in the power of storytelling in shaping narratives about Kenya and the African content at large, the film director has written, directed and educated in the industry.
Her spark for film was ignited at Butere Girls’ High School where she was the school head girl. Apart from ensuring the efficient running of the student body, Dr Mungai was also in charge of entertainment.
At the time, access to film production, locally, was limited and those available were scripted and directed by black Americans.
“Most of the films were about slavery that painted black women in a destitute and hopeless manner. I also discovered that the girls enjoyed watching films that portrayed black women as winners who overcame challenges that they underwent, ‘’she says.
Patriarchal society
The film director sought to study film to acquire skills that would help her tell the African woman’s story in a dignified manner. She was inspired to propagate a narrative that mirrored that of her widow mother who despite numerous challenges, managed to educate and raise her children in a patriarchal society.
Since most films in circulation did not champion the progressive African Woman, Dr Mungai made it her life’s ambition to tell that story.
The first film that encompassed Dr Mungai’s ambitions was Saikati, the first feature film directed by a Nairobi-based female filmmaker.
Saikati was well received, especially by international audiences and propelled Dr Mungai to international stardom and recognition. The Kenyan-based film debuted in 1992 and showcased the African woman in positive light while highlighting the conflict of existing in a country where African cultural practices and Western values coexisted.
Daily lives
‘’I thought I was giving voice and agency to Kenyan women like my mother and myself but it turns out that most African women across the continent resonated with Saikati, they saw their daily lives portrayed in the story,’’ she says
The film won a number of international awards including; The Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) –Unicef Award for best projection of an African Woman’s Image and The Association of Professional in Communication Award (Apac) for Best African Woman Director in 1993.
The authenticity of Saikati’s story and cinematography that was uniquely Kenyan, set her apart even in global platforms.
‘’I was not trying ape Hollywood’s style of filmmaking, I created a Kenyan story that reflected our day-to-day’s lives,’’ she says.
Dr Mungai has contributed almost two decades to telling the African story through the eyes of an African woman.
It was only after receiving numerous international awards and recognition that Dr Mungai began being appreciated in her own country. Shortly after being awarded the Fespaco award, she was given a Head of State Commendation (HSC) in 1994.
She went onto direct a number of other films including Pongezi, Don’t Cry Child of Africa, Tough Choices, Saikati the Enkabaani and Promise of Love.
She opines that most naysayers believe that women cannot be filmmakers and directors because of patriarchal beliefs.
‘’There was a belief that women’s voices should not be heard and that they could not direct films or be in charge of entire casts,’’ she recounts, ‘’There was also negative moral perceptions of women working in film,’’
She, however, realised that self-confidence and belief was instrumental in shaping her career. She urges women who have broken barriers in film industry to not be complacent but keep up the momentum.
Dr Mungai has extended her love for film to the classroom by lecturing in communication, media, film and theatre studies at Kenyatta University. Her experience in film studies made her cognisant of the lack of government support for the film industry. She hopes the government can implement progressive policies that would increase film production and consumption of local content.
Language barrier
“We need to watch stories that are written from our own perspectives, not a Kenyan filmmaker aping a European or Hollywood story. We should not wait for international film makers to come and tell our own stories,” she says.
She lauds the works of filmmakers like Ousmane Sembene, a prolific writer and filmmaker from Senegal who used African stories to battle racism, censorship and language barrier that transformed Africa’s film industry.
With regard to the rampant banning of Kenyan produced films, Dr Mungai opines that a consultative dialogue between stakeholders such as the government and creatives should be conducted to come up with a cultural film policy. The policy would reflect the insights of all stakeholders and avoid constant conflicts.
Dr Mungai says she cannot fathom choosing any other artistic form other than film to dedicate her life’s work to.
