TAKE 5! WITH SHIRLEEN WANGARI

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Shirleen Wangari is a Kenyan filmmaker, actress, writer, producer with a passion for telling African stories through collaborations. She started acting in high school where she won her first best actress award. She has acted in Various films and on TV series.

Q: What do you like most about your job as a producer?

A: I like to create, being a producer offers me the opportunity and the possibilities are endless. I think stories shape mindsets, when we look at the Americans we have watched so many Navy Seal films and series we actually believe a team of six can deal a whole army, it’s great storytelling. As a producer, I have the opportunity to create great sagas from Africa and change the world’s perception of us.

Q: What do you consider your artistic process when it comes to making a film

A: Being a writer I have so many concepts and a few written scripts, that’s where it all starts. I prefer working on things close to my heart, filmmaking can get rough and when tears well up your eyes it helps if you can remember why you started a particular project. Next I find a team.

Kenya has some great people and some from outside the country, and we get creating, I like to trust that the people on my team know what the are doing because there are several aspects of filmmaking that I am not very familiar with, especially the technical. “What lens is that? What does it do? Oh”. The process ends when the audience watches our product.

Q: Why did you start making films?

A: I started out purely as an actress then evolved. I saw the opportunity to be a doctor, a pilot, a jewel thief, an assassin, a nun…. Who wouldn’t want such fun?

Q: What are you currently watching?

A: Mmmh, Good girls. Yeah, I’m late to the Manny Montana party

Q: Any advice to those starting out in the film

A: This is the right time to join filmmaking, there’s too much room for improvement, too many untold African stories. This is the time.