Poupoune Makes her Mark in the African Film Industry
Story teller, visionary, and ultimate business woman are but a few phrases used to characterize Poupoune Sesonga, the ambitious leader aiming to bridge the gap between dreamers and doers in her native country of Rwanda. Poupoune has dedicated her career to all forms of mass media, specifically filmmaking, and accessing tools that allow Rwandan creators to stand out on an international level.
Sesonga is the CEO and manager of her own production company, Kivuto Production Ltd. where her primary goal is to push the current standard of media production in Rwanda by obtaining top tier technology for producers to compete on a larger scale. Her plans to evolve and thrive on this scale include creating a renowned online presence for Kivuto, diversifying the caliber of content created, as well as creating a network for the production’s projects to be broadcasted. She is well on her way to accomplishing all of the goals she has set for her company and Rwandan filmmakers are certainly better off because of her.
The amazing work of Poupoune has already been recognized by many film festivals around the world including Zanzibar Film Festival in Tanzania and Tampere Film Festival in Finland to name a few. Along with being awarded by these festivals, Sesonga has founded film festivals and programs of her own, one which acts to feed the aspirations and dreams of Rwandan youth. Poupoune’s aspirations are attributed to her love of film, pride in her home country and the ability exhibited in being an all around boss. Her inspirational life journey has also played a part in that success. After the passing of her father, she went on to put herself through school in her young age and made a name for herself in a field dominated by men.
She has taken all of her earlier life lessons and combined them with her study of entrepreneurship in the 2018 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® program, which led to her attending Leadership Development for two weeks in Dallas, TX. This year she continues to make her international mark by returning to Texas to participate in the 2019 African Film Festival in Dallas at the end of June. Kivuto is one of her two films being featured this year which is a touching story that peers into the life of a disabled boy rejected by his parents. We are proud to recognize the force that is Poupoune Sesonga and look forward to watching her accomplish every goal, both big and small, that she has set for herself.
Written by: Joseph Lee, volunteer