ABOUT WIFA
“There’s a need for a festival that affords women of any background the chance to be showcased in a truly empowering light.”
Dr. Susan Gitimu
The Women in Film Awards(WIFA) aims at bringing women filmmakers in Kenya together and provide a space where diversity of women voices, stories and creativity is equally recognized and celebrated.
This exiting initiative not only recognizes women filmmakers but also provides a platform to honour outstanding women filmmakers who have contributed to the growth of the film industry by producing films of high quality. The annual awards have been created to honour women filmmakers in many different categories: From Directors, Writers, Producers, Cinematographers, Editors and Sound Designers and other women who work within all areas of film production.
Nominations open on 15th December of every year running through to 15th January of the following year with awards being held in March each year to coincide with the international women day. Entrants may enter themselves or be nominated and undergo a rigorous judging process to achieve the level of awardee. the Jury comprises of accomplished women filmmaker in the industry. After the jury process the nominees are sent to the public for public voting and the winners are awarded during a red carpet gala event.
Awards Objectives
- To celebrate women perspectives through film
- To encourage women filmmakers in Kenya present the world as they experience it through filming the world.
- To empower women in Kenya to embrace filmmaking.
- To create a market linkage for women filmmakers in Kenya to the larger market for film i.e. Distributers (online, mobile, TV and local retail market) and consumers/viewers.
“women don’t lack a voice, they have the voice, they need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen”. -Meghan Markle
WIFA 2024 Organizing Team
Awards Director
Dr. Susan Gitimu is the director Beyond the Film(BTF). She is also a lecturer at Kenyatta University in the department of Communication, Media, Film and Theatre Studies.
Awards Producer
Denise Kibisu is an award winning producer and is passionate about youth and women. She strongly believes that Film is one of the tools that helps to create a social impact.
Awards Organizer
Mukami Maina is an upcoming film producer and a graduate of Kenyatta University with a degree in film and theatre studies. She is passionate about writing authentic African stories especially those that revolve around women and children. Mukami is currently also persuing a degree in Media law.
Awards Coordinator
Peninah Wanjiru-Azmina is a video editor and photographer. She is also a lecturer at KCA University. She is passionate about empowering the African storytellers. She is pursuing her masters in film at Kenyatta University.
“If there’s specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can’t change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.” – Kathryn Bigelow
WIFA JURY 2024
The Women in Film Awards jury is a distinguished and diverse panel of individuals who play a crucial role in recognizing and celebrating the outstanding achievements of women in the film industry. The Jury team is comprised of industry experts, filmmakers and other professionals. This jury is tasked with the responsibility of carefully evaluating the submissions and nominees to determine the winners of various awards.
The jury operates with the utmost integrity and impartiality, ensuring that the evaluation process is fair and unbiased. Members uphold the highest standards of professionalism in their assessments, recognizing excellence in storytelling, direction, performance, and other key aspects of filmmaking.
Beyond the awards process, the Women in Film jury members actively advocate for greater inclusivity and representation within the industry. They strive to be catalysts for positive change, encouraging opportunities for women filmmakers and fostering an environment where diverse voices are heard. Their collective expertise, dedication to gender equality, and passion for storytelling make them instrumental in shaping the narrative of women’s contributions to the world of cinema.
SUKI WANZA- CHIEF JURY
Suki Wanza is a stage and screen actress par-excellence who has starred in many acclaimed productions. She has starred in the Kalasha Film and TV Awards 2020 nominated film “Midlife Crisis” and “Sisters Alone” by Legacy Arts and Film Lab, the TV series “KINA” on Maisha Magic Movies by Zamaradi Productions, “MaEmpress” by PHILIT productions, “Masaibu ya Njugush” by Njugush Creatives among others. On stage, she has acted in the award winning stage play, “Too Early for Birds: Brazen Edition” and “Contract Love: The Musical”. She has appeared in several commercials ie “Safaricom Golf Tour 2022” and “Prudential life insurance”. She has written and produced ‘Home Away’ a stage play and directed ‘Quarantine’ a short film
Ms Wanza was the vice secretary at the Nakuru Players Society for 3 years (2020 – 2022) and was incharge of correspondence and communication. She has been a member at the Nakuru Players Theatre since her high school years and acted in many acclaimed productions by renowned directors.
Suki Wanza is co-founder and has been the festival coordinator for 7 seasons of the Lake International Panafrican Film Festival (LIPFF) which promotes and celebrates films done in African Languages. She is also chief jury at the Women In Film Awards (WIFA) and the Mombasa International Film Festival (MIFF 2023) during its premier year.
AGNES KOLA
Agnes Kola is an award winning Assistant Director having won the award of Best Assistant Director at Women in Film Awards 2022. She is currently working at Philit Productions. She has worked with Silverscreen Nigeria as a second Assistant Director. In 2023 she was part of The Institute of creative Arts for progress in Africa, which was held in Nigeria for a script workshop.
She is a theatre enthusiast, and in Kenya Theatre Awards 2022 she was nominated as BEST Female Supporting Actress in a Musical.
She previously worked at the Department of film services- Nairobi as the Assistant Director having done documentaries such as , SRC, SGR, KURA,KeNHA.
LORELLA JOWI
Lorella Jowi is the founder & producer at Filmic Media, a film & content production company and Film Link Africa; a network for the film and entertainment industry specializing in listing actors, talent, crew, casting, job opportunities, career advise, industry news & PR in East Africa and beyond.
She is also a Casting Director and certified trainer of the Hollywood Acting Master Class, founded by veteran Hollywood actor & director D. David Morin.
She has worked on various productions both TV and Film, corporate identity spots, films, across Africa.
VIGILANCE ATIENO
Vigilance is a skilled and experienced projects coordinator, strategic development communications consultant, and creative producer. She is currently pursuing an MA in Strategic and Development Communications at Daystar University.
Additionally, Vigilance is an accomplished filmmaker with over five years of experience in producing, production design, and production management. She co-runs a production company that specializes in producing social impact films that advocate for human rights, mental health, climate action, women empowerment, gender inclusivity, cultural heritage, gender-based violence, and trauma healing. Through well-designed masterclasses, the company also provides capacity-building training to young people on film and theatre productions.
Vigilance’s extensive experience also extends to her role as the Festival Manager for the Lake International Pan-African Film Festival for seven consecutive years. The festival promotes social impact films created in African languages by African filmmakers and brings international and local filmmakers together.
WAIRIMU NGUYO
Wairimu Nguyo (a.k.a Nimmo) is a two-time nominee for the best female animator category for the Women in Film Awards. In 2022, she was selected to be a 2D animation trainer for an animation bootcamp hosted by GIZ GmbH and Kenya Film Commission (KFC). She produced and directed an animation called Tucheze, which was the product of the bootcamp. She hold a Bachelors Degree in Film Production and Animation from Multimedia University of Kenya (MMUK) and a Master of Arts in 3D Animation from Buckingham New University. She lectures animation at Multimedia University of Kenya with more than seven years of experience. She also has experience in animation curriculum development and has been a jury for several film festivals. She enjoys animation because it is the art of telling stories through visuals and imagination is our only limit.
See www.wairimunguyo.com
for more details.