Local Filmmaker Scores 1.5m with His Short Film

Kenyan filmmaker Omar Kibulanga has recently clinched two significant awards for his short film pitch, Makonde. The film, which tells the story of a stateless Makonde orphan’s struggle for survival and his community’s fight for recognition, was one of 12 projects selected from a pool of 60 at the Some Fine Day Pix awards ceremony.

Kibulanga, a former journalist, received a $10,000 grant from Some Fine Day Pix to produce Makonde. This followed an earlier win at the Alliance Française Sinema Mtaani Short Film Grant, which awarded him Sh250,000 in equipment and post-production support.
Some Fine Day Pix, a platform dedicated to nurturing East African filmmakers, hosted a two-day pitching session in Nairobi where 60 aspiring filmmakers presented their projects to a jury. In addition to the 12 winning pitches, five other teams received funding to develop innovative distribution and marketing strategies for their films.