Judy Kibinge is an acclaimed Kenyan filmmakers, and the brain behind hit film productions and documentaries including Project Daddy, Killer Necklace, Something Necessary and Dangerous Affairs (winner of the 2003 Zanzibar Film Festival overall prize). Coming of Age, her 2008 documentary, won ‘Best Short Documentary’ in the Africa Academy Awards in 2009. She founded Seven Productions, a multi-media company and Docubox, a non-profit organisation that helps young filmmakers find their footing.
Filmmaker Judy Kibinge is the second born of four children. Born in Kenya in 1967, she spent most of her childhood years in America after her father was appointed Kenya’s Ambassador to the United States. “I was about two and half years old when we left. I came back for high school and attended Kenya High before going back.”
Her journey into filmmaking was not straightforward. As a little girl, she was creative. She loved anything that involved storytelling, writing and drawing. She always thought she would end up as an architect, but when it came to choosing what to study at university, her grades weren’t quite up to scratch. So she settled for a three-year degree course in Design for Communication Media at Manchester Polytechnic Art College. During school holidays she would intern with advertising and graphic design firms. It was here that she discovered her fascination with the art of combining pictures and words.
“During my internship, I remember being awed by how cool it all looked to work in advertising. I saw people smoking and cussing and everything was abuzz, even in the dead of night.” She would be amazed that people were actually paid to draw and create billboards.
She was hooked. “I loved it and really wanted to work here.”
That is how she ended up at McCann Erikson advertising agency as Creative Director in 1992, doing a job she loved. Advertising opened up her mind and it was a great foundation for what would be a successful career in film.
She was the only black Creative Director and the only female in her department. All the other Creative Directors at the time were white and male. She never really felt out of place, though. She found it exciting and the perks were great. She earned a good salary, drove a company car and life was good. She got used to working in the challenging environment and it never seemed like a man’s world to her. “I once overheard that the big boss thought that I fought like a man,” she reminisces.
This assertive spirit now serves her well in the film industry, since on a typical film set members of the crew are mostly men. Kibinge is never intimidated in such an environment. She says that knowing what you want, being confident and ready for your projects doesn’t leave room for one to get frazzled.
After seven years in advertising, restlessness set in and she handed in her resignation in 1999, questioning whether advertising was all that life had in store for her. Would she create adverts for the rest of her life? Was that it for her? She wanted to tell bigger stories. And that is how it dawned on her that films would offer the outlet she needed. She was also tired of the poor quality of local content on TV. That sealed the deal for her. Despite being aware of the challenges that stood in her way, Kibinge was convinced she had found her purpose.
As she considered her new path, she realised that it all boiled down to strategy. To get her foot in the industry, she decided to go the director route. Most of her film knowledge wasn’t earned in film school, but by watching playbacks. Directing her first film, The Aftermath, taught her a lot. Despite a little nervousness and being all over the place because she thought she had to run everything, she had a great crew who made it all seem easy.
The film, which was aired on MNet, was a good entry point for her; it resonated well with the audience and received rave reviews. The game changer, however, was Dangerous Affairs. It won first prize at the Zanzibar Film Festival, catapulting her to a new level which was well above her peers in the industry. She now develops films at her own production house, Seven Productions, which has achieved dominance in the industry.
Kibinge is also one of the founders of Docubox, a non-profit organisation that funds young creatives to produce documentaries. Docubox was born in 2013 out of a need to address the problem of funding in the Kenyan film industry. “Mostly we have to look outside the country. There is a fund set up by our government, but it is only available to people under 35,” she explains. She adds that what they don’t realise is that filmmaking is a craft that takes time to master. She reveals that another challenge is that the funding comes in form of a loan that has to be repaid, sometimes after six months. “This is unrealistic because in six months filming is still ongoing,” she says. “How do you pay it back?”
Another hurdle that she points out is that local media stations are not obliged to buy local films; furthermore, those who want to buy are paying very little. “Though well-meaning, the fund doesn’t work so well. If it was a grant, then that would be a great start.”
Docubox is tailor made to suit filmmakers looking to do their own documentaries. Interested applicants present their ideas, receive mentorship from professionals and face a panel with their refined ideas. The winners receive funding and mentorship throughout the production process. Judy hopes that in the next five years, Docubox will have a few more films and documentaries under its belt.
Besides being a film director and managing various other projects, Kibinge is also a wife and mother. “I run my own business, so finding balance isn’t that much of a challenge,” she says. She remembers how she once found it weird that mothers would rush home to their families instead of preparing for the next day’s work. “Now I get it.” She is thankful her husband helps out a lot with their son. “When I’m travelling, which I do a lot, I am happy knowing that he is home taking care of him.”
Kibinge’s working hours are erratic and depend on the project she is handling at the time. Sometimes she will work late into the night. While her work is not confined to the office, she feels that it is always nice to have office space, so as to touch base and to create a nice working atmosphere for her staff.
If she weren’t a filmmaker, she would be an architect or an urban planner. She shares that there is so much that can be done to our spaces. “I am so disappointed with the lack of creativity in our spaces here in Kenya.” When she travels overseas when promoting her films, she is awed by the display of creativity in architecture. “Kenya can look that great, too.”
In October 2017, Kibinge was handpicked by the Academy of Mition Pictures Arts and Sciences to join the ranks of voting members.
Given the chance to go back in time, she would she do a few things differently. She shares that she now realises she jumped head first into directing, but should have first learned to film and edit. “When you are in an industry where funds don’t come easy, you need to be multi-skilled. And you must keep your overheads low.”
With that said, she admits that she wouldn’t have had the chance to learn if she hadn’t made mistakes. “So maybe I wouldn’t change a thing,” she concludes.
Words of Wisdom
- “There is only one secret to success: passion. You need to love what you do.”
- “Find what you really love and learn as much as you can about it. When you do something for long enough, you become successful at it.”
- “There is always a first step to take. Take it. Don’t wait for ideal conditions. If I had waited to go to film school, who knows, I wouldn’t have done my first films.”
- “Don’t hold on to bad experiences. Let them go. You will be better for it.”
- “Don’t be mean to people. It doesn’t achieve anything.”
- “Age or fear of the unknown shouldn’t hinder you from exploring your passions. I jumped out of employment at about 32.”
- “When you leave a good corporate job to start a business, you realise that you are on your own. But if you survive for at least three years it gets easier. It’s normal to get stressed. Don’t expect it to do exceptionally too soon.”