Rwandan journalist, film critic, producer, scriptwriter, editor and film director.

Sometimes credited as
Janvier Mutiganda

Mutiganda WA NKUNDA (Mutiganda wa Nkunda) is a journalist, film critic, producer, scriptwriter, editor and film director.
He was born on October 18, 1989. Graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture in 2013, he switched the career to film journalism and filmmaking to pursue his long time passion. As a self-taught screenwriter, his first 4 short fiction screenplays were shortlisted in the Global Dialogues Short Story Creating Contest in 2012. In 2014 he wrote, produced and directed his first short film RAYILA, a story of a mother who abandons her baby and commit suicide which was shown and won awards in several film festivals around the world.

Also in 2014, he wrote the popular sitcom INSHUTI which aired on TV 10 Rwanda between 2014 and 2015. It is regarded as the first ever TV series to be produced in Rwanda. It was also released on YouTube and received fan following as well. In 2015, Nkunda worked as a producer on a short film ISHABA produced during the filmmaking workshop conducted at inaugural Mashariki African Film Festival (MAAFF). The short was screened at international film festivals and released on DVD by Africalia as part of African Best Short films collection. Later in the year, he attended Maisha Film Lab screenwriting workshop in Kigali, where he worked as a writer on popular comedy series SEBURIKOKO which first aired on Rwanda Television in March 2015. Meanwhile, he worked as a film critic and journalist since 2013 in several local media. He later made an experimental short film, LA FEMME NUE which was selected for the 3rd edition at the MAAFF.

After quit from journalist career in 2016, he focused completely on filmmaking where he directed TV series CITY MAID which currently airs on Rwanda Television. At the same time, he made the serial VIRUNGA SCHOOL that airs on Royal TV. Then he wrote, produced and directed his second short film IBANGA RY'UMUNEZERO in 2017.
Meanwhile, he co-founded an independent film production company titled'IZACU'. Under the company, he made his first feature film NAMELESS (2021) which he self-funded and later pitched it at Takmil workshop of Carthage Film Festival 2018. At the workshop, the film was bought by the French giant Orange Studio and the film is premiering at 2021 Fribourg Film Festival in Switzerland and won the Screenplay Award at 2021 FESPACO in Burkina Faso.
As a producer, he produced A TASTE OF OUR LAND which won the best first film awards at PanAfrican Film Festival 2020 and 2021 AMAA (Nigeria).

FILMOGRAPHY
2013 - Rayila (Short film) * Director, writer, producer
2014 - Inshuti (Friends) (TV sitcom) * Director
2015 - Ishaba (Short film) * Producer
2015 - Seburikoko (TV series) * Writer
2015 - La Femme Nue (The Naked Woman) (Short film) * Director
2016 - City Maid (TV series) * Director
2016 - Virunga School (TV series) * Writer
2017 - Ibanga ry'umunezero (The Secret of Happiness) (Short film) * Director, writer, producer
2019 - Pearl Lost in an Empty House (Feature film) * Producer
2020 - Rocabye (Ibihozo) (Short film) * Director
2020 - A Taste of our Land (Feature film) * Producer
2021 - Nameless (Feature film /// debut) * Director
2022 - Phiona (2nd Feature film) * Director, writer, producer (in Post-production)

Source:
- Mashariki Film Festival 2017
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiganda_Wa_Nkunda
Updated by Thierno I. Dia, on 3 Dec 2021