Kenya’s voline Ogutu wins Netflix, UNESCO short film competition

Netflix and UNESCO have announced the six winners of the groundbreaking competition to find some of Sub-Saharan Africa’s up-and-coming filmmakers, entitled ‘African Folktales, Reimagined’. Voline Ogutu is among the six winners and the only Kenyan.

Ogutu makes the list alongside five other winners from Africa. Each winner will receive US$25,000 plus a production budget of US$75,000 to create short films through a local production company and under the guidance of Netflix-appointed supervising producer and industry mentors from across the continent. Staying true to the competition’s aim of showcasing Africa’s rich cultural heritage, the short films will feature reimagined African folktales presented in multiple African languages.

The six filmmakers will now go into the development phase of their projects, before starting production on the short films that will eventually premiere on Netflix as part of ‘An Anthology of African Folktales’ later this year. They will be mentored by acclaimed African filmmakers which include Femi Odugbemi, Jenna Bass, Leila Djansi, Pape Boye, Bongiwe Selane and Tosh Gitonga.

Ogutu won the competition for her work Anyango and the Ogre which will premiere on Netflix as a short film.

The other winners of the competition are: Mohamed Echkouna from Mauritania with The Enmity Djinn; Tanzanian Walter Mzengi with Katope; Nigerian Korede Azeez with Adieu, Salut; Ugandan Loukman Ali with Katera of the Punishment Island and South African Gcobisa Yako with Uma’Mlambo.

KBC

~WakenyaCanada