ABOUT SAKI MAFUNDIKWA

Director/Director of Photography/Producer

Shungu: The Resilience of a People is the first feature-length documentary film from Zimbabwean filmmaker, Saki Mafundikwa. He is also a graphic designer, design consultant and design educator of international renown. He worked for a dozen years in New York City as a graphic designer and art director at publishing giant Random House and an Adjunct Professor at Cooper Union, before returning home to Zimbabwe to found Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVA) a design and new media training college in Zimbabwe where he is the Director. Educated in the USA, he has an MFA in Graphic Design from Yale University. He is the author of the book, “Afrikan Alphabets: the Story of Writing in Afrika.” Saki has lectured widely on design issues and African media in Africa, Europe, Middle East, North and South America and has been published widely in international design journals and magazines.

FILMOGRAPHY

Shungu: The Resilience of a People, 54 minutes, 2009

World Premiere: IDFA (Amsterdam), 2009

Official Selection: Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (Greece), 2010.

Translated into French, will be touring African film festivals in 2010.

Won the Ousmane Sembene Award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, 2010

Basilwizi: People of the Great River, in progress, 2010.

Jerusarema Dance, 30 minutes, 2007

A profile of the traditional dance, Jerusarema, as performed in Murehwa, Zimbabwe, created on the occasion of its recognition as a “masterpiece of humanity” by UNESCO

Mhuri Yekwa Simbanegavi, 15 minutes, 2007

A short documentary about a rural family of musicians who make and play the traditional instrument, mbira.

Luciano in Zimbabwe, 13 minutes, 2007

A profile of the visit and performance of reggae artist, Luciano in Zimbabwe in 2007.