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Rwanda
Pre-Jury

A pre-jury of more than 30 local science education and science communication professionals from the participating countries are closely involved in the selection of the films.

In the region Sub-Sahara Africa the pre-jury in 2021 consisted of the following members:

Josiane Ishimwe

Rwanda

Josiane Ishimwe has been involved in different projects to bring fun and engaging STEM subjects to young students. She is the Science Centre coordinator at the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village and works hand in hand with trainers to create fun and educative hands-on programmes in order to encourage students to love science and technology. She has a background in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. Since 2018 Josiane has been involved in the Science Film Festival as a pre-jury member for Rwanda, where she also coordinates the Science Film Festival activities since 2018. In the same year, she also coordinated the Goethe-Instutut ‘I Am Science’ project in Rwanda, which aimed to encourage young girls to love STEM and to consider such a career in the future.
In 2019, Josiane was selected to participate in an intensive leadership programme called “TechWomen” in Silicon Valley. Now she believes in peer mentorship that is well explained with this sentence: “never let go an opportunity to be supported”. Josiane is a mentor of young girls in different secondary schools through Imbuto Foundation, which aims to guide young girls and helps them achieve their goals.

Science Center Coordinator, Agahozo Shalom Youth Village

Michel K. Zongo

Burkina Faso

Michel K. Zongo is a director, camera man and a scriptwriter. From 2003 to 2008 he was responsible for the Interactive Debate-Cinema at Cinomade, an association based in Burkina Faso with the objective to create and distribute tools to increase awareness, notably through cinema.
After having worked as cameraman and assistant director for many films and different producers, amongst them Christian Lelong since 2002, Michel wrote and directed his first documentary “Sibi, l’âme du violon” produced by Les Films du Djabadjah in 2010. “Ti-tiimou (Nos sols)” followed, produced by Cinomade. He also started Diam Production with a partner, a structure for documentary film production, that co-produced together with Cinédoc Films Zongo’s full-length documentary “Espoir-Voyage”.

Director, Cameraman and Scriptwriter

Jorge Cohen

Angola

Jorge Cohen was born and grew up in Luanda, the capital of Angola. Co-founder of Geração 80, an audio-visual production studio who’s objective has been to create links, connect generations and produce the national cinema for the last 10 years. Today the motivation still is to see Angola on screen, tell African stories and collectively make cinema. Cohen understands the role of a producer as the place to reinvent paradigms, the creation of sustainable models for producing culture.

Jorge holds an MA in Global Creative and Cultural Industries from SOAS, University of London (2018) and an MA degree in Business from the Catholic University of Lisbon School of Business and Economics (2009). He is on the Advisory Board for the ERC-funded project “African Screen Worlds: Decolonising Film and Screen Studies.

Co-founder of Geração 80

Nadine Phiri

Namibia

Nadine Phiri works for the Scientific Society Swakopmund. She started as an Archivist in 2011, soon realizing that her true passion lies in history and heritage. After a short time away from the Scientific Society Swakopmund , she found herself returning as the Assistant Curator in 2019. She has a true passion for teaching, so education in the Museum environment is something she thrives on and constantly challenges herself and her team to reach new heights in. Constantly busy with a variety of projects to benefit her community, creating exhibitions and planning workshops for Ocean Month, Heritage week, Science week and even tackling issues as Autism and Mental Health . Since 2020 she serves as the Secretary for the National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and also has the privilege of being this year’s Chairperson for National Team of the Heritage week 2021. She is also an advocate for the Autism Community and serves on the Autism Coastal Namibia committee as the Vice – Chairperson.

Scientific Society Swakopmund

Nibret Gashu

Ethiopia

Nibret is a teacher and Vice Director at the School of Indiana in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. Born in the town of Finote Selam in Gojjam, Bahir Dar, Nibret was from an early age inspired to pursue a career in education, due in part to the shortage of teachers in his community. Nibret has spent the last decade serving as a teacher in Bahir Dar and Addis Abeba. Since 2010, he is active in a number of community development programmes related with education and sustainabilty such as the Green Movement. He also personally devotes his time to support orphans in Finote Selam, Bahir Dar and Addis Abeba in their persuit of education. Nibret has received his teaching credentials from Finote Selam College and is currently doing his dissertation at the Bahir Dar University.

Teacher and Vice Director, School of Indiana in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

Althea Jarvis

South Africa

Althea Jarvis is a television producer with more than 20 years’ experience. She is also a former educator and has always been passionate about how the medium of film and television can be used as an empowerment and educational tool. In her capacity as Commissioning Editor at the South African Broadcasting Corporation, she is at the Editor of some of South Africa’s most beloved TV shows.

The Daily Youth Drama “Skeem Saam” has an average of more than 9 million viewers daily and won the prestigious South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for most Popular Drama in 2016. In 2017, the Doci-reality show, “100% Youth” won the SAFTA for Best Youth Programme. The show focusses on the creative economy and how young entrepreneurs are turning their Creative expressions into a viable business. She is currently doing her Master’s degree in Media Studies at AFDA film School in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Television Producer / Director