As an actress, film producer and director Pascaline Ingabire is currently in the best phase of her career.

One of the few female film directors this country has, she is transcending barriers in the film industry, especially in this pandemic, to tell a very specific and moving message with her stories.

Her running YouTube series, Inzozi (Dreams), is just one of them. The series, she explained is tells different stories about life and its challenges in general, mainly focusing on marriage and romance.

"Inzozi is mainly based on how people can start with whatever they have and achieve their dreams even though they don’t have the required resources,” Ingabire shared in a recent exclusive interview.

Before she began shooting the series, most of the films that were released were mainly comedy. She realised the gap in the genres of local film and felt the need to invest in something different.

"Also, it was clear that it is a profession that I will benefit from soon or later, and at the same time support the Rwandan society,” she added.

However, it is not just storytelling that inspires her films. It’s also the impact that she has seen films have on the lives of the people that watch them.

"My role in Inzozi is that of a miserable woman because her husband is burden to her. I have had instances where women looked for me just to tell me that they were about to file for divorce but because they saw the results of my patience in the film they chose to be patient too.

This proves that what we act reflects the life that people are experiencing. There are even instances where you act something and people experience it after, and base on a character in the film to react appropriately. Films are significant in society because our stories encourage and advise people,” she said.

Like many filmmakers, producing films in this pandemic has not been a walk in the park. But the producer she has learned to deal with the challenges by improvising with the few resources available.

"During the lockdown, I tested my entire crew for Covid-19 and we were confined together in a rented a house, where we also did shooting for the film so as to avoid possibilities of contracting the virus. This obviously, was costly on my end you of I had to cater for many people and ensure that we work in a secure environment.

Nonetheless, on the other hand, it helped me to work faster because other than finish shooting by 6 p.m., we would extend to 9 p.m.,” she said.

Starting out

Ingabire began acting as early as primary four, always participating in school plays. She loved acting so much so that she visualized her future as a successful actress.

Upon completing high school, she quickly joined professional acting and became famous for her roles in the drama films ‘Igikomere’ and ‘Samantha’.

It was however, not long after that some of her colleagues that she was even better at directing and was appointed assistant director before she began directing and producing her own films.

Future plans

"This year, there is another film called ‘Selfish’ that I will release. There are several messages on this one. There are different messages that I cannot disseminate through Inzozi because it already has its own primary story. I will do like five seasons of Inzozi, end it, and then do other films of not more than two seasons each. I envision showcasing all lifestyles in my films,” Ingabire shared.