The Together Man In Regional Cinema

At the cornerstone of contemporary Swahili cinema, Tanzanian filmmaker Amil Shivji is adamant about telling stories of contrast and community and promoting local talent.

- INAARA GANGJI

FOR TWO YEARS, TANZANIAN FILMMAKER AMIL Shivji made the white, windswept beaches of Zanzibar his home. The island was the location for his film Tug of War (Vuta N’Kuvute), a “coming-of-age political love story set in 1950s Zanzibar” that he co-wrote, co-produced and directed.

He used local talent and resources for this film that won him accolades – the film was selected for the Toronto Film Festival in September.

But that has been the focus of Shivji’s work all along; telling stories of the working class and the communities he grew up with, at the cornerstones, called kijiweni in Swahili, where the most interesting stories are, where people of all backgrounds and classes cross paths, and where the personal meets the public.

Growing up in a lower middle-class neighborhood, Shivji always felt the stories of the marginalized were not told enough.

For this, he makes a film a year from his production platform, Kijiweni Productions.

“We just make sure that we keep telling stories in Swahili, with local cast and crew,” says Shivji, who is part of a new wave of filmmakers from the region.