Joe Njagu

Director

1982 witnessed the birth of Joe Njagu, the award-winning writer/director who directed his debut feature film Lobola in 2010, which paved the way for a new chapter for independent film-making in Zimbabwe.

Exercising vast adroitness in independent film making, cutting across all production levels, Joe’s entry into film making brought a breath of fresh air in independent film making.

Highly equipped with a burning passion and appreciation for art, Joe brings to life the self-written screenplays like The Gentleman. The South African trained writer/director established himself as the future of the Zimbabwean film industry through his first comedy debut, Lobola.

Highly inspired by Hollywood director, Chris Nolan, Joe believes The Gentleman is a new chapter of African cinema as the storyline, the acting, the pace and the overall ‘fell’ of the film surpasses the usual ‘folktales’ synonymous with African films hitherto. With over 15 years in the film industry, he saw his second feature film, The Gentleman, winning him the Best Foreign Language

Director accolade at the America International Film Festival and Best Film at the NAMA awards in 2012. Over the years he has directed and shot several other feature films. These include Something Nice from London, Escape, Tete B and The Letter amongst others. Joe has also produced Cook-Off, the first Zimbabwean film to be acquired by Netflix.

He is also a 2016 Yali Alumni and a Mandela Washington Fellow, the flagship program of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leadership initiative where he was enrolled at Cambridge College in Boston USA. He was listed amongst the top 35 under 35 young professionals working in media in Africa in 2014 by the Non-profit Young Professionals in International Affairs.

He has over the years scooped several awards at the international level, making him one of the most respected film directors hailing from Zimbabwe and Africa. Independent film producers including those with the zeal to enter the industry are greatly inspired by him.

Films like Lobola that he expertly directed resonates very well with the current Zimbabwean psyche and by extension the African philosophy as well. Such pioneering work is increasingly influencing film producers and directors to focus more on film productions that are in sync with current issues in Zimbabwe and Africa.

Joe and others of his ilk represent a new crop of young writers/directors in the film industry imbued with ingenuity and fervent zeal to portray the real and current Zimbabwe and Africa through film.

He remains an iconic figure in the film industry whose influence is breaking national, regional, continental and international barriers in terms of film production. Zimbabwe’s fledging independent film production industry owes its robust growth and development to people like Joe Njagu.— NACZ.