Who We Are

We are a team of passionate filmmakers, artists, and cultural advocates dedicated to growing Rwanda’s creative industry. With experience in film production, theatre, and community development, we believe in the power of storytelling and artistic expression to transform lives. Our mission is to create sustainable cultural spaces that provide opportunities for artists and engage local communities in meaningful and inspiring ways.

Meet the Team

Shema Deve (Rwanda) – Managing Director/Founder: Shema is a Rwandan film director and producer active since 2015. An alumnus of the DFMI Business Lab, GLCP lab, and Durban Talents, Shema’s recent short documentary Lake Women won the Audience Award at the Roxbury International Film Festival. Shema has produced films that have been showcased and awarded internationally. Sensory Overload  by Ganza Moise received a Special Jury Mention at the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, and Imuhira by Birara Myriam earned the Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award at the Locarno Film Festival in 2021. Shema is currently working on his debut feature film. 

Ceke Mathenge (Kenya/Rwanda)- Advisor: Ceke Mathenge is a Kigali-based creative professional with over a decade of experience spanning film production, arts programming, and cultural project management. She holds an MA in Film Directing from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in History, Media, Communication and Culture from Keele University, and has built a diverse career as a producer, director, and arts administrator across Rwanda and beyond. Her work includes serving as Artistic Director of the Kigali Pride Initiative — where she curates the Kaze Film Festival — as well as roles at the Goethe Institut Kigali, the Rwanda Film Festival, and Kwetu Film Institute, among others. She has produced and directed award-winning short films screened at international festivals including Cannes, Sheffield DocFest, and DOK.Fest Munich, and her filmography spans documentaries, music videos, and narrative shorts.

Alison MacAulay (Canada) – Project Advisor: Alison is a historian based in Toronto, Canada. She received her PhD in History from the University of Toronto in 2022, where she explored the relationship between film and history in Rwanda from the colonial period to the post-genocide era. When she’s not teaching, Alison enjoys working with filmmakers on the pre- and post-production stages of their film projects.