Ever since she was a little girl, story writing came naturally to Sharon Urusaro Kalimba. She was the girl who won essay writing contests and aced debates, she also wrote poems and would even proofread compositions for friends.
25-year-old Kalimba, now a filmmaker, says she just felt naturally drawn to composing. "I dreamt of being able to type words fast, the way we see it in movies; a lady in tech was a fantasy I held onto for a very long time. But now I know my niche was in writing all along,” she says.
She started out as a poet and spoken word artist. When the opportunity presented itself to study scriptwriting, it came with filming as part of the package, and so she took it, she narrates.
"I am a "words” kind of person because I found the opportunity more compelling when words can be visualised. I have indulged myself in the technicality of cameras, sound, lighting, location, and so on,” she says.
On the set of her documentary ‘Transient’.
Kalimba was motivated to explore film due to the fast-changing world where people are more interested in visuals than written content, and her main goal is to share her thoughts, ideas, and stories.
"We are living in a time where consumption is highly visual. People would rather watch a 30-second video than sit with a 320-page book with the same content. At the end of the day, I thought to myself that it would do me no harm to go with the future,” she shares.
Starting out
The transition to filmmaking from computer science after high school was not very smooth, Kalimba says. The switch came as no surprise to her parents because they knew her passion for writing, even though she had doubts.
"I had doubts about whether it would lead me to anything successful, compared to computer science. There are times I kept to myself what I was up to, and that was not received well by my parents. They started to see my interests divert, and they questioned it even though they trusted that when I am passionate about something, I give it my best. I convinced myself that it was a matter of time and perseverance.”
Even though it was hard, her parents never doubted her and are her biggest support. So far, she has made remarkable strides which include finding her voice and the confidence to speak out and explore her art, among other achievements. She also recently won Best Documentary Film at the Cameroon International Film Festival (CAMIFF) for her documented "Transient” film, based on the difficulties during the pandemic, especially among the youth.
Kalimba says she aspires to bring to Rwandan cinema the art of stylistic storytelling, focusing on the visual and psychological aspects that we still tend to leave behind.
"I am hoping to promote a new culture of women-led film festivals like Urusaro International Film Festival that has started to do such a good job. My goals include achieving world-class artistic capabilities combined with business,” she says.
She shares that the Rwandan film industry has come a long way, although it is still a young industry compared to others. She believes in the next five years we will see Rwanda on the cinema map at least thrice as much as we do now.
Whilst the profession requires patience and perseverance, her journey has been humbling, and did not spare her any challenges.
"Mostly at the beginning, like in any other male-dominated industry, it was a bit difficult to be taken seriously. It is more likely to be told to be on camera than behind the camera, so questions like, "why aren’t you an actress yourself?” in condescending tones that mean you should do what "appears” to be less masculine, were thrown at me, and also making people understand that filmmaking is a whole career,” Kalimba says.
Her advice to women who want to start a journey in filmmaking, and those already there, is to trust their own story. She believes that sometimes you do not really need a super-sophisticated story to make it to the big screen. And that it will take effort from women empowerment institutions to sponsor and educate women so that they can take on whatever they put their minds to.