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Cultures-Uganda

Ne Kunda Nlaba (Ne Kunda Nlaba)

  • Ne Kunda Nlaba (Ne Kunda Nlaba)
© Ne Kunda Nlaba
Film director, Producer, Screenwriter
Principal country concerned : Column : Cinema/tv, Media, Arts and crafts

Born in Kinshasa in D.R.Congo, Ne Kunda Nlaba is an award-winning African Film Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Editor, Actor and Political Scientist based in London. He is the owner and C.E.O of Labson Bizizi-Cine Kongo Ltd and Afrika Bizizi Distribution Ltd, founder and Film Professor at Kongo Bizizi Academy "the Pan African Film Institute", creator of Bizizi Box and also member of Producers Guild of Great Britain (PGGB).

A confident and creative filmmaker with experience in writing, producing and directing narrative fiction and documentary films of diverse genres. Recently produced and directed short and feature films distributed on streaming platforms such as Amazon and Kweli TV, on Television, in cinema and at national and international film festivals including "The Next" (2009), "The Steel Pan" (2010), "Living Without Living" (2011), "Cherie Bondowe" (2012), "Abeti Masikini: Le Combat d'Une Femme" (2015) and "Kimpa Vita: The Mother of African Revolution" (2016), "Kingdom of Kongo: In Search of the Destroyed Kingdom" (2020) and is actually producing a dance feature film "Afro Beat" and the drama feature film "Kimpa Vita".

Education

Apart from his secondary school diploma in Biology and Chemistry from Kinshasa, Ne Kunda Nlaba had his degree in political science from Université Chrétienne Cardinal Malula in Kinshasa in 2005, a L3 city & guild diploma in Advanced media
industries production from Lambeth College in London in 2010, a
Certificate of Higher Education in BA(Hons) Film: Video production with film studies from University of West London in 2013 and a Master of Arts in Film, Television & Screen Media from Birkbeck University of London in 2018.
 
Early life

Ne Kunda Nlaba started his career in art since he was a very little child by performing in plays and doing poetry at primary school and secondary school in Kinshasa in D.R.Congo where he won some best actor trophies from school drama competitions and then started directing and giving drama training at age 16 to children from Baraka primary school in Kinshasa where he also won prizes for Best director and best performance.
He made his first film appearance as main actor in Kinshasa in a short film "Un Virus A L'Ecole" directed by Alain Ndontoni in 1998.
 He performed in several plays and storytelling including "Shella" 1998 "Pasteur Contre Evangéliste" 1999 with Heaven Boyz company, "Cri de Détresse et d'Espoir ", 2005 "Nsengane" (Tale) 2007 with Virunga Theatre and also participated in the creation of contemporary dance shows such as "Na Nini? "and "Bataille Sans Fin" with Diba Dance company of choreographer Jean-Marie Musungayi.

He founded his theater company, Virunga Theatre and a Cultural Centre called Labson Cultur'arts in Kinshasa in 2004, and then created Festival Solo or Mosi, a one man show festival which had its first edition in 2005 and the second edition in 2007 in Kinshasa.
In 2006, Ne Kunda Nlaba started working with Canal 5 television channel as a marketing/sale agent and presenter, and then joined Mbongi'Eto Cultural Centre with the griot Ne Nkamu Luyindula and also the project Kiamvu-Le Pont as a Communication Officer while working still as an actor.

He decided to focus his career in film in 2007, founded his film production company Labson Bizizi-Cine Kongo and began his film career in Kinshasa and produced his first short horror film "The Next" in 2009 in London, a year after he moved to United Kingdom and his first documentary "The Steel Pan: The Spiritual musical Instrument of the 20th Century" in 2010 which was screened at Montreal Black Film Festival in Montreal in Canada in 2011, and produced his first drama feature film "Cherie Bondowe" in 2012.
Throughout his career path from theatre, rap, contemporary dance, photography to radio and television; Ne Kunda Nlaba associates all this experience gained from his long journey to express his vision of the world and also connect not only with the African public, but also with the world public through his films.
He hopes to make film a remedy that will make human live for several centuries.

FILMOGRAPHY/BIZIZIGRAPHY

2021: "KIMPA VITA" a biopic drama feature film about Kimpa Vita (actually in development).

Genre: Drama, Credit: Producer, Director and Screenwriter.

2021: "AFRO BEAT " a dance feature film about based on Afrobeat dance competition.
Genre: Drama, Credit: Producer, Director and Screenwriter.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afrobeatfilm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/afrobeatfilm1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afrobeatfilm/

2020: "THE KINGDOM OF KONGO: IN SEARCH OF THE DESTROYED KINGDOM" a documentary feature film about the Kingdom of Kongo.

Genre: Documentary, Credit: Producer, Director and Screenwriter.
Site : https://www.labsonbizizi-cinekongo.org/#royaume-kongo-film
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/royaumekongofilm/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=visP9Zu9uwA

2016: "KIMPA VITA: THE MOTHER OF AFRICAN REVOLUTION" a documentary a feature film about Kimpa Vita a 22 young women burnt a life for the revolution in 1706 against slavery in the Kongo Kingdom. The film is currently in preproduction and production process.
Genre: Documentary, Credit: Writer, Producer and Director.
Site : www.kimpavitafilm.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/KimpaVitaFilm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimpaVitaFilm

2015: "ABETI MASIKINI: LE COMBAT D'UNE FEMME" a documentary feature film about the life of the Congolese Diva, the singer Abeti Masikini, the queen of soukous. The film was screened in Avant-premiere in Paris and at Festival du Film Africain de Belgique (FIFAB) in September 2015.
Genre: Documentary, Credit: Co-producer and Co-director. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbetiMasikiniFilm/
Website: www.abetimasikinifilm.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0B4g9shIXM

 2012: "CHERIE BONDOWE" a melodrama feature film about divorce, domestic violence and suicide in a migrant community.
Genre: Drama, Credit: Writer, Producer and Director.

2011: "LIVING WITHOUT LIVING" a short documentary film about the life destitute asylum seekers in the UK produced as part of Respect and Dignity for Asylum Seekers Campaign sponsored by British Refugee Council.
The film was screened as world and U.K premiere at Amnesty International/ Human Right Action centre in London and was screened for the second time at the British Refugee Council and was screened as international premiere at Film Festival 2012 in Netherlands on 04 November 2012;  and at Bareface film club and at Tate South Lambeth Library in London in July 2013.
Genre: Documentary, Credit: Writer, Producer and Director.

2010: "THE STEEL PAN" a documentary about the creation, development and construction of the Caribbean musical instrument invented in Trinidad and Tobago.
Screened at the 7th Montreal Black Film Festival in September and October 2011, at Tate South Lambeth Library in London in July 2013 and at Sounds Like London Film Festival in 2015 in London.
Genre: Documentary, Credit: Writer, Producer and Director.

2009: "THE NEXT" (2009) short horror thriller about a gentleman who kills his former girl friends and their close relationships for deception.
Genre: Horror, Credit: Writer, Producer and Director.

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