Floriane Kaneza

Last updated
Floriane Kaneza
Floriane KANEZA.jpg
Born (1987-03-12) March 12, 1987 (age 38)
Bujumbura, Burundi
Occupations
  • Film Producer and Director
  • Cultural Entrepreneur

Floriane Kaneza (born March 12, 1987) is a Burundian filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer based in Sydney, Australia. In addition to her filmmaking, she is known for her role as director of two leading Rwandan film festivals, the Mashariki African Film Festival and the Urusaro International Women Film Festival, during the 2010s.

Contents

Early life and education

Kaneza was born in Bujumbura, Burundi, on March 12, 1987. 

She studied Communications at Hope Africa University in Burundi. [1]

Career

Kaneza started her Film and Television career as an actress in 2009 with the Kamenge Youth Center's theatrical troupe in Bujumbura. [2] She next starred in the television drama series UMUCO (2011–2012) which was broadcast on Burundi National Radio and Television.

In 2012 she joined Itulive Media and Communications, a production studio, where she ventured into film from behind the camera. [3] [2] Under the Itulive banner she wrote and directed Sana (2013), her first short.  The film garnered its lead actress a Best Actress award at the International Festival of Cinema and Audiovisual of Burundi (FESTICAB) that same year. [4] Other Itulive projects she worked on in various capacities, ranging from producer to casting director, include Joseph Ndayisenga’s award-winning films Welcome Home (2013) and IMashoka (2014) [5]

In 2015 Kaneza migrated to Rwanda, and in 2016 took on the role of artistic director of the Mashariki African Film Festival (MAAF), which she led until 2018. [6] [7]

In 2018, Kaneza was appointed director of the Urusaro International Women Film Festival (Urusaro IWFF), a project of Cine Femmes Rwanda dedicated to championing women working in Africa film. [8] [9] She held the position for 4 years, and in 2021 was recognized by The East African newspaper as one of the six most influential women in Rwanda's creative sector. [2] [10]

In 2021, Kaneza founded Amatuta Productions to support emerging filmmakers. [2] Under the Amatuta banner, she wrote and directed Perdue (2023) which won the Act for Equality prize (le Prix Agir) at the 40th edition of the Vues D’Afrique film festival in 2024. [11] The short film, about a 16-year old girl forced by her parents to marry the professor who impregnated her, went on to screen at other international film festivals, including the 2024 Silicon Valley African Film Festival. [12] In 2024 she produced Before Sixteen, the directorial debut of Burundian filmmaker Loïc Niyonkuru. In 2025 the documentary short film screened at FESPACO, the Durban Film Festival, and Stlouis'Docs (Senegal), [13] [2] and was one of two African films shortlisted for the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards. [14]

In addition to leading Amatuta Productions, since 2023 Kaneza has served as director of distribution and partnerships at Zacu Entertainment, [2] a Rwandan production and distribution company acquired by Canal+ in 2022. [15]  

Distinctions

Kaneza has served on several film festival juries. These include:


In 2024 Kaneza was selected by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) to serve as a member on the Documentary and Film Series Commission of the Fonds Image de la Francophonie, an OIF initiative to support and promote the creation of audiovisual works from filmmakers in Francophone countries. [20]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleGenreRef
2011-12UMUCOActressTV drama series
2013SanaScriptwriter/DirectorShort fiction film [5] [21]
2013Welcome HomeLine ProducerShort fiction film [22] [23]
2014I MashokaCasting DirectorFeature fiction film [24]
2014AshleyCasting DirectorShort fiction film [25]
2014KiswahiliDirectorShort documentary
2015Croco in the Museum (Croco au Musée)DirectorShort documentary [26]
2018Why Not Me?Casting DirectorShort fiction film
2022MuzunguProducerFeature documentary
2022The Whistle (Le Siflet)ProducerShort documentary [27]
2023Lost (Perdue)Director/ProducerShort documentary [28] [29]
2024Before 16 (Avant 16 ans)ProducerShort documentary [30]
2024The IncubationProduction SupervisorFeature fiction film [31]
2024Weaving BondsProduction SupervisorShort fiction film

References

  1. ↑ "Personne biographie". Africine. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cinéma : du théâtre à la production cinématographique, le remarquable parcours de Floriane KANEZA". Akeza. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Floriane Kaneza s'exprime sur la première Agence d'Acteurs du Burundi". Akeza. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ "akeza.net – Cinéma : du théâtre à la production cinématographique, le remarquable parcours de Floriane KANEZA" (in French). Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  5. 1 2 "akeza.net – Cinéma : du théâtre à la production cinématographique, le remarquable parcours de Floriane KANEZA" (in French). Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  6. ↑ "Floriane Kaneza, director of the Mashariki African Film Festival (Rwanda), talks about its 3rd edition". African Women in Cinema. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Women solidly at heart, soul of throbbing art community". Rwanda Today. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  8. ↑ "personne biographie". Climate Story Lab. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  9. ↑ Nsabimana, Eddie (2022-10-19). "Women have a special place in Rwandan cinema, says film festival organiser". The New Times. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  10. ↑ "Floriane Kaneza directrice du FIFF URUSARO : «le cinéma est un bel outil de partage de culture, c'est un art qui offre de la visibilité à tous les autres". Media Culture. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  11. ↑ CECI. "Lost: Winner of the Act for Equality Award at the 40th Vues… | CECI". ceci.org. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  12. ↑ "15th annual Silicon Valley African Film Festival - Program Booklet by Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF)". Issuu. 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  13. ↑ DIABO, Aïchatou (2025-01-28). "Before 16". FESPACO. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  14. ↑ Chiemeke, Jerry (2025-05-24). "Out Of Africa: Two African Films Shortlisted For 2025 Sony Future Filmmaker Awards | The British Blacklist" . Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  15. ↑ Nsabimana, Eddie (2022-07-19). "What the acquisition of Zacu Entertainment means for local film". The New Times. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  16. ↑ "African film makers join forces". IWACU English News. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  17. ↑ "Africiné - Mashariki African Film Festival 2015". Africiné (in French). Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  18. ↑ Sémi (2022-03-01). "Le Festival du Film court francophone est de retour !". Vaulx-en-Velin (in French). Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  19. ↑ "Festival de San Sebastián/Donostia Zinemaldia/International Film Festival:", Film Festivals, Modern Humanities Research Association, pp. 87–140, 2021-05-01, retrieved 2025-03-29
  20. ↑ "Nomination de 6 nouveaux membres aux Commissions du Fonds Image de la Francophonie". www.imagesfrancophones.org. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  21. ↑ "Africiné - Festival International du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel du Burundi (FESTICAB) 2013". Africiné (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  22. ↑ "Festicab : «Welcome Home», de Joseph Ndayisenga rafle 5 prix – IWACU". www.iwacu-burundi.org. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  23. ↑ "akeza.net – Entretien avec Olivier Iturerere, le producteur de Welcome Home, le film le plus primé du FESTICAB" (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  24. ↑ "I Mashoka : le coup de cœur – IWACU". www.iwacu-burundi.org. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  25. ↑ "Africiné - Ashley". Africiné (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  26. ↑ "Africiné - Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) 2015". Africiné (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  27. ↑ "The Whistle". Tportmarket. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  28. ↑ CECI. "Lost: Winner of the Act for Equality Award at the 40th Vues… | CECI". ceci.org. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  29. ↑ "Lost". SVAFF - Silicon Valley African Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  30. ↑ DIABO, Aïchatou (2025-01-28). "Before 16". FESPACO. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  31. ↑ "The Incubation : CanalOlympia". www.canalolympia.com. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
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