Zoe Ramushu

Last updated
Zoe Ramushu
Born
Zoe Chiriseri

(1990-03-25) March 25, 1990 (age 33)
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Education Wits University, Columbia Journalism School, Green Templeton College, Oxford
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2013–present

Zoe Ramushu is a South Africa based Zimbabwean writer, director, producer, actress [1] [2] [3] and multimedia journalist. [4] [5] Her debut film, It Takes A Circus was nominated for the Student Academy Awards. Zoe Ramushu is co-founder and former spokesperson of Sisters Working in Film and Television. She also chairs a committee for the South African Department of Sports, Arts and Culture. [6] [7]

Contents

Background

Born Zoe Chiriseri in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, she received an undergraduate degree in English and Law then an M.A. in African Literature from Wits University. She then went on to study documentary filmmaking at Columbia Journalism School. She received her M.Sc from Columbia University in the City of New York. Ramushu is a Fellow of the Reuters Institute at Oxford University. [8]

Career

Film and television

Ramushu started her career in 2013 when she featured in commercials for KFC, Soul Candi and Grandpa then in 2015 she produced her first project, a reality show called 'My Perfect Date' which she shot in Zimbabwe. In 2016, Ramushu led a gender transformation agenda for African Film with women’s organisation SWIFT which she co-founded. [9] [10]

In 2019 she produced two New York based documentaries. ‘It Takes a Circus’, her directing debut was nominated for the 48th Student Academy Awards (Student Oscars) [11] [12] and screened at Doc NYC 2021. [13] The film screened at various festivals across the globe including the March on Washington Film Festival. The film was a finalist at the Independent Shorts Awards [14] 2021 and won the Trenton Film Society award for Best Documentary 2022. [15] She produced ‘To The Plate’ which was shortlisted for the BAFTA Student Film Awards [16] [17] and was the recipient of a Pulitzer Center Grant.

In 2021 Ramushu produced ‘Botlhale’, a South African short film which was selected to screen at the Lincoln Center during the New York Africa Film Festival. [18] [19] Botlhale was selected for various festivals and was also nominated for numerous awards at the Sotambe Film Festival. In late 2021, Ramushu was announced as one of the filmmakers to produce a Netflix film [20] in partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation. [21] Her showrunning debut, Pretty Hustle, a television series was selected as the first and only episodic project to pitch [22] at Durban Film Mart’s 2021 Finance Forum. [23] Later in 2021 Ramushu was announced as a fellow of the Cannes Producers Network [24] and was nominated to participate in The Gotham (formerly IFP). [25] [26] In 2022, Ramushu was selected for the Creative Producer Indaba, a lab for promising auteurs across Africa. [27]

Ramushu secured her first film acting role in the South African film 'Bothlale' in 2021 and in 2022, Ramushu took on a role in the Netflix production 'Real Estate Sisters'. Her work has been recognized on global platforms such as the Berlinale, Cannes and Morocco film festivals amongst others. [28]

Journalism

As a journalist, Ramushu wrote for America Magazine with a focus on Black filmmakers and their work. She was nominated for the Reuters Institute Fellowship at Oxford University through which she spent time developing the Chiriseri Test, a guide on newsroom diversity consisting of four questions. [3] The test was envisioned as a journalism analog to the Bechdel test. [29]

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References

  1. ↑ "Zoe's film showcases at Africa Film Festival". May 27, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Zoe Ramushu". afternoonexpress.co.za.
  3. 1 2 "Zoe Ramushu".
  4. ↑ "Zoe Ramushu". America Magazine.
  5. ↑ "Gender bias Archives".
  6. ↑ "Director Will Take Legal Action!".
  7. ↑ "Joburg Film Festival: Unpacking the Gender Disparity in the Film Sector – Livemag".
  8. ↑ "Task Force on Belonging Shares Top Recommendations for the CAA | Columbia Alumni Association". www.alumni.columbia.edu.
  9. ↑ Vourlias, Christopher (July 21, 2018). "For Black Women in South African Film Biz, Equality Still a Struggle".
  10. ↑ "SWIFT presence at this year's DIFF and DFM | Balancing Act - Africa". www.balancingact-africa.com.
  11. ↑ "Meet the 2021 Student Academy Awards Finalists | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. August 10, 2021.
  12. ↑ Herald, The. "Unheralded film star basks in awards glory". The Herald.
  13. ↑ "Doc NYC U: Columbia".
  14. ↑ "Finalists: January 2021". independentshortsawards.com. February 20, 2021.
  15. ↑ "2022 Trenton Film Festival – Trenton Film Society".
  16. ↑ "Zoe Ramushu Becomes The First Zimbabwean Woman To Make The Finalists For The Student Academy Awards (Oscars) After Being Shortlisted For The Student BAFTA Awards".
  17. ↑ "Columbia Students and Alumni Named Finalists for the 2021 Student Academy Awards | School of the Arts". arts.columbia.edu.
  18. ↑ "Zoe Ramushu's Latest Collaborative Project Premieres At The New York African Film Festival".
  19. ↑ Chronicle, The. "Zoe's film showcases at Africa Film Festival". The Chronicle.
  20. ↑ "Zoe Ramushu & Reabetswe Moeti's Production Gets Netflix Funding".
  21. ↑ "Netflix Strikes Third African Talent Deal as It Unveils Splashy Slate; South African Series 'The Brave Ones' & Kunle Afolayan's Nigerian Film 'Anikulapo' Among New Orders". 2 August 2022.
  22. ↑ "Filmmakers get a shot at turning projects into reality at this year's Durban FilmMart".
  23. ↑ "DFM Access".
  24. ↑ "Producers Network | Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes".
  25. ↑ "Strategies for Women in South African Film". IAWRT.
  26. ↑ "Advocacy group aims to Weinstein-proof SA's entertainment industry". TimesLIVE.
  27. ↑ Dalton2022-10-11T09:49:00+01:00, Ben. "Realness Institute selects 15 producers for African Creative Producer Indaba scheme (exclusive)". Screen.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ↑ "News | Documentary Fridays presents Botlhale |".
  29. ↑ "The 'Chiriseri Test': Four questions to ask about diversity in your newsroom".
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