SZIFF - International Film Festival Tanzania

OUR JURY

MARTIN MHANDO

Jury Chairman

Assoc. Professor Martin Mhando is a research Fellow in Murdoch University, Western Australia.He is a well-known film critic and also holds the position of co-editor of ' The Journal of African Cinemas'. He has also produced and directed many award-winning films, both fiction and documentaries.

NINA MNAYA

Jury Member

RICHARD SEVERINE NDUNGURU

Jury Member

Tanzanian National Instructor, University of Dar es Salam Specialization – Film & Media Studies Over 25 years of experience in Film & Television Industry. Jury member – Various film festivals

Dr. Vicensia Shule

Jury Member

REBECCA COREY

Jury Member

Nationality – United States of America Masters in Development Studies Executive Director- Nafasi Art Space Founding Director – Tanzania Heritage Project Strategic Development consultant

MARY BIRDI

Jury Member

Nationality – Tanzanian Director and Co-Founder of Arusha African Film Festival Master's of Science in Leadership and Pivotal in promoting films in Africa

SAUDA SIMBA

Jury Member

Sauda Simba is the Managing Director of Trinity Promotions Limited, a Multi Media Communications Agency that consults for Corporate, International organizations and the Creative sector.

MARTIN MHANDO

Assoc. Professor Martin Mhando is a research Fellow in Murdoch University, Western Australia.

He is a well-known film critic and also holds the position of co-editor of ' The Journal of African Cinemas'. He has also produced and directed many award-winning films, both fiction and documentaries.
He was the CEO and Festival Director of the ' Zanzibar International Film Festival' for 10 years, and has served as ' Jury Member' for many festivals around the world.
Martin s now back in Tanzania and focused on Bongo Movies. He believes in the creative capacity of documentaries to tell engrossing life stories of individuals and communities whereby the truth emerge through the audience' engagement

POUPOUNE SESONGA

Poupoune Sesonga is an upcoming award winning filmmaker from Rwanda. She was trained under the Maisha Lab program where she produced her first film ' ivuto' which won different international film awards including the SIGNIS award at the ZIFF 2013. The film was also selected in festivals like "Tampere film festival" in Finland, "African Film FESTIVAL" in Belgium and "TV5 Afrique". The film won 3 awards at the Rwanda Thousand Hills Academy nominations and won three awards: Best director, Best short film and best story.

She won a grant from CFI AND CANAL+ for the short documentary project "La Cle" and also I attended Durban Talent Campus as Director "2014" where the project ' ivuto' as a feature was awarded Special Mention. She produced a short film titled ' anyambo', which was in the official selection in Durban International film festival 2014. She has served as Judge in Festcab., Burundi.

In 2015, through Luxor African film festival and the workshop conducted by Haile Gerima, she wrote and directed a short film titled ' amani.' She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Urusaro international film festival and founder, CEO and filmmaker at Kivuto Production.

PHAD MUTUMBA

Phad Mutumba is Ugandan by birth but has settled down in Canada. He has graduated from The National Film & Television School, UK.
He is a known figure in the film industry for his contributions as Content creator, Filmmaker, Writer, Producer & Director.
He is the CEO and founder of Nile's Diaspora International Film Festival in Uganda.
Phad has written and directed 11 feature films, two of them were winners of the World Film Festival Circuit.

• DAFN0 East African Film Network – Uganda Country Representative
• Jury Head, FESTICAB 2014 Burundi
• Jury Head, AAFF 2014, Arusha, Tanzania
• Juror DISCOPRO Pitching Competition 2015, Johannesburg.

PENINA MLAMA

Penina Mlama currently holds the position of ' Professor of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Professorial Chair in Pan African Studies' of the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

A long - serving Professor of Creative Arts, she has also held various positions in the same University, including Head of Department, Associate Dean Research and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Services as well as Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic.

She is an award winning actress with films like Mama Tumaini (2007) and others as well as a actor with the Paukwa Theatre.

In addition, Mlama is a playwright with eight published plays in Kiswahili, under the name Penina Muhando. She has also published books and articles in the field of culture, the arts, gender, education etc. She also served as jury member of the Zanzibar International Film Festival.

IMAN LAPIA MANI

Nationality – Burundi
Professional with over 15 years of international experience in the field of film making and production in Burundi.
Burundi's most active and passionate producers
Education from Kenya & South Africa
Instrumental partner to the Burundi Film Center since 2007
Participated in various film festivals.

DR. OMAR A ADAM

Nationality – Tanzanian
PhD in Swahili Literature
Executive Secretary, National Arts Council & Censorship Board, Ministry of Youth , Culture , Arts and Sports, Zanzibar,
Trained musicians and theatrical program for young theater artist.
Member, Regional Steering Committee on the Preparation of Jumuiya Africa Mashariki Utamaduni Festival , (JAMMIEST)
Member – JULIKIZA, organisation to propagate use of Swahili language in the country .
Radio Cultural Presenter

ISSA MBURA

Tanzanian National
Pursuing PhD in Theatre Arts
Masters of Arts- Theatre Arts
Worked as Assistant Lecturer at University of Dar es Salaam, School of
Journalism and Mass Communication
Scriptwriter, Producer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Actor
ZIFF Chairman's/Bi Kidude Award- Best film & most promising Film Director in East Africa for the
film Crush (2013) during the 16 th Zanzibar International Film Festival.
Engaged in major national and international projects including documentary on
Walter Rodney, Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots, 50 years of UDSM etc..
Published a book on 'Filmmaking and Tanzania Film Industry'
Founder and Executive Director of Saseni Media Company

REBECCA COREY

Nationality – United States of America
Masters in Development Studies
Executive Director- Nafasi Art Space
Founding Director – Tanzania Heritage Project
Strategic Development consultant
Managing Director – Bausara Promotions
Nafasi Art Space - Contemporary art and creative hub in Dar es
Salaam
Tanzania Heritage Project- , Preserve and promote music, poetry,
drama, and speech archive of Radio
Santuri EA - A platform for collaborative music that highlights a
strong East African identity.
Busara Promotions- Cultural non-profit organization in Zanzibar
responsible for Sauti za Busara music festival.

RICHARD SEVERINE NDUNGURU

Tanzanian National
Instructor, University of Dar es Salam
Specialization – Film & Media Studies
Over 25 years of experience in Film & Television Industry.
Jury member – Various film festivals
Mentor - Film Makers, script writers and Producers
Associated with numerous Award Winning Movies.

RICHARD SEVERINE NDUNGURU

MARY BIRDI

Nationality – Tanzanian
Director and Co-Founder of Arusha African Film Festival
Master's of Science in Leadership and
Pivotal in promoting films in Africa
Served as Jury member to several Awards and Festivals in Africa.
Tanzanian Country Representative – Providing training to Unite, Promote and improve the quality of East African Movies.
Served as Asst. Manager of Kilimanjaro Film Institute

Sauda Simba

Sauda Simba is the Managing Director of Trinity Promotions Limited, a Multi Media Communications Agency that consults for Corporate, International organizations and the Creative sector. Her passion for film and theatre led her to acting in school plays, joining the theatre society in Trinity College Dublin during her university days and ultimately acting in the blockbuster Bongo Movie Girlfriend (2002). This role opened other acting doors such us an appearance as Tanzania’s representative to South Africa in the hit soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold (2002). In 2008 she had the starring role in the short film The Business Trip under the African Tales Series.
In 2012 she had a cameo role in the comedy Going Bongo followed by the lead role in bongo movie CPU (2015). In 2017 she had another cameo role in the award winning film T-Junction.

DR. MONA NGUSEKELA MWAKALINGA

Nationality – Tanzanian
Lecturer of Film and Media Studies at the Department of Creative Arts of the University of Dar es Salaam.
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and a Masters of Arts in Theatre and Film
PhD in Film and Media Studies from the University Kansas, USA.
Currently is the Director of Public Service at the University of Dar es Salaam.
Theatre and film practitioner, Facilitator, Trainer and Instructor in both film and
theatre arts.
She has acted in numerous play and has engaged in film productions.

MWALIM ALI MWALIMU

Nationality - Tanzanian
Profession – Architech
Passion – Fiction and Script Writer.
Roles till date :
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ZANZIBAR ROADS FUND

NINA MNAYA

Tanzanian National
Completed her Studies at City Varsity in Cape Town, South
Africa.
Worked on various film and TV projects through her film company
Produced various diverse TV, Film and Radio programs through
Local and International collaborations.
She is currently a consultant for Film and Television productions
and is based in Dar es Salaam.

Dr. Vicensia Shule

Tanzanian National;
Film maker and creative artist;
Produced and participated in Feature Films, Documentaries, Television and Radio Drama programs
Bachelor degree in Theatre and Master Degrees in Theatre and Film.
PhD in Theatre Studies from Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Germany.
Lecturer in University of Dar es Salaam since 2005 in Theatre and Film production.
Consultant in the areas of Art policy, Culture and Communication.
Published various books and journals.
Chief Jugde of Tulia Dance Festival (2016 & 2017)
Chief Judge WIOMSA (Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association) Art Competition (2018)
Guest Judge for European Youth Film Competition (2017).

Maria Shabah

Tanzanian
Professional Teacher, broadcaster, trainer, participatory research expert, lobbyist and advocate,

Professional
Facilitator, counselor and negotiator.
Trainer in broadcasting and community radio.

Skills
Teacher/trainer, researcher, lobbyist, advocate, community worker, moderator, consciousness raiser (animator), artist (poet, creative writer, actress, singer, composer, producer/director), socio-political analyst, lobbyist, organizer, facilitator, strategic planner, interpreter, broadcaster, speech writer, youth leadership trainer and
development worker, planner, fundraiser

Our Jury

OUR JURY

MARTIN MHANDO

NINA MNAYA

RICHARD SEVERINE NDUNGURU

Dr. Vicensia Shule

REBECCA COREY

MARY BIRDI

SAUDA SIMBA