Amil Shivji
Birthplace:
Tanzania
Amil Shivji is based in Tanzania, his homeland, as a freelance filmmaker and lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam. He believes in using images to challenge the powers that be, in particular deconstructing urban facades of development and emphasizing the strength and struggles of marginalized communities. He has set up an independent production house called Kijiweni Productions that is committed to telling local stories with an international standard. He has written, directed and produced a few short fiction films that have addressed issues ranging from corruption and land grabbing to a commentary on the growing class divide. They have received worldwide recognition, participating in prestigious festivals such as International Film Festival Rotterdam and FESPACO in Burkina Faso as well as picking up many accolades on the way including winning People's Choice Award in Zanzibar and Best Director and Best Short film in Africa. His debut as a feature film producer was with Aisha (2015) and has been screened in Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington, Tanga, Toronto, Singapore and picked up four awards at the ZIFF in July 2016. He released his directorial debut for a feature film called T-Junction (2017) that opened ZIFF 2017 and garnered three awards on the closing night. He is now in post- production on his latest feature, Vuta N'Kuvute (A Tug of War)- a story of love and resistance set in British colonial Zanzibar, 1950s.