Eric Kabera

Eric Kabera Born in 1970, in the former Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo, acclaimed Rwandan filmmaker, Eric KABERA made his studies in psychology, pedagogy and law. After a training offered by Reuters Foundation in London, he became a radio journalist for 3 years with the national broadcaster and a freelancer for the Africa Section of the BBC. He attended one of the major training gatherings in Hollywood (Los Angeles) in directing, production and post-production at the Los Angeles International Film Festival. Motivated by the lack of human resources in audiovisual in Rwanda, Eric KABERA founded the Rwanda Cinema Centre (RCC) in 2001 with the intention of training and facilitating filmmaking in Rwanda. He is as well one of the founder members of the African Film School networks (FSN) with reputable German film schools. He is also a member of the East African Filmmakers Forum that covers Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda and he sits on the board of Advisors of Maisha Film Labs alongside with Spike LEE, Raoul PECK, Sofia COPPOLA and Peter CHAPPELL. Eric Kabera is the founder and the Chairperson of the annual Rwanda Film Festival organized and hosted by Rwanda Cinema Centre. Rwanda Cinema Centre initiatives have been hailed around the world from Cape Town, Zanzibar, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles. In 2007, Rwanda Cinema Centre held a special program called 3 Voices at the Tribeca film Festival where over 400 delegates attended the event celebrating talents trained by the Rwanda Cinema Centre under the leadership of Eric Kabera at the Tribeca Film Festival. Among the top guests speakers at this event were: President William Jefferson Clinton the 42nd President of the United States of America, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Ambassador Andrew Young, the Civil Right Movement activist and former mayor of Atlanta, Pastor Rick Warren author of the Best Seller book Purpose Driven life. Eric Kabera is now the founder and owner of the KWETU FILM INSTITUTE. A regional film, TV, Arts and media School based in Kigali - Rwanda. Kwetu Film Institute is now being supported by the German government under the program called Rwanda Media Project. Since 1994, Mr Kabera’s company, Link Media Productions whose production credits range from the first feature length film 100 days on the genocide against the Tutsi, to multiple documentaries and shorts specializing on the Great Lakes region and Rwanda. He has attended over 100 international film festivals around the world that had received his films. He has served as a jury member in film festivals in Africa at the Prestigious Pan African Film & Television Festival Fespaco in Burkina Faso, Germany and Italy at Human Rights Film Festivals in Bologna and in Nuremberg. Mr Kabera has served as the judge to the first Rwanda’s got talent contest that took place 2018. Eric Kabera productions have been acclaimed in prestigious film festivals such as Toronto International Film Festival, London International Film Festival, Vues d’Afrique (Canada), Milan, FESPACO, Los Angeles, ZIFF, Göteborg, New York, African Film Festival, Tribeca, Cape Town World Cinema Festival, Cinema Africa Tokyo... Eric Kabera has also given talks and presentations at various reputable universities and institutions such as USC, Tufts University (USA), the Dramatic Institute (Stockholm / Sweden), the Gothenburg Film Festival, UCLA, CaFArts, Cinema Africa/ Tokyo at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, University of Southern California to name but a few. Eric Kabera work has been presented at the United Nation in New York. He has also made presentation at a side event during the United Nations General Assembly on MDGS challenges. Eric Kabera was also selected as a young dynamic African filmmaker to give a presentation at the World Congress of History Producers in London. This gathering brings together scholars, Historians and TV personalities who cover world history. Mr Kabera is famously known as the God Father of the Rwandan film industry as the creator of the brand name Hillywood: namely the film industry label of Rwanda. Eric’s presentation and work has also been featured on CNN, Sky Tv, BBC, Radio and TV, PBS, NPR, Boston Globe, Variety magazine, NHK Japan, RBA, SABC, RFI, and many other broadcasters around the world.

• Eric Kabera review on CNN https://www.cnn.com/videos/international/2012/07/02/african-voices-eric-kabera-rwanda-a.cnn
• Kwetu Film School: https://www.cnn.com/videos/international/2012/07/02/african-voices-eric-kabera-rwanda-c.cnn
• Making of Africa United: https://www.cnn.com/videos/international/2012/07/02/african-voices-eric-kabera-rwanda-b.cnn
• Eric Kabera talks of Hillywood Piece with NPR https://www.npr.org/2017/07/27/539825474/filmmaker-dreams-of-a-romantic-comedy-set-in-rwanda
• Eric Kabera collaborates with USC Shoah Foundation https://sfi.usc.edu/news/2013/11/student-voices-film-contest-jurors-include-filmmakers-eric-kabera-and-sam-kadi
• Eric Kabera gives a Master Class to a program designed by the Lincoln University in collaboration with Kwetu: https://changingthestory.leeds.ac.uk/profiles/cesar-kwetu/
• Eric Kabera presents the film ‘The Woman in Me’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGcGa8A6Gv24
• Eric Kabera presents Intore the Documentary film: https://vimeo.com/499352564
• Eric Kabera on Rwanda Tv Special Versus in Kinyarwanda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCsN8V-hXQU
• Eric Kabera presents Through my eyes: http://www.choicesvideo.net/prdct_pgs/throughmyeyes.html
• Africa United presentation to the Premiere in Rwanda: https://vimeo.com/495844989
• 100 Days trailer: https://www.artfilms-digital.com/item/100-days
• Hillywood Review in the Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rwanda-devises-big-plans-build-own-film-industry-1163667/
• Africa United trailer: https://vimeo.com/273193448
• Intore trailer on Kweli Tv: https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=1222323931559736&_rdr
• Eric Kabera Interview with CNBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksdd6Yfhr3w
• Review on Hillywood in Variety Magazine: https://variety.com/2018/film/spotlight/diy-spirit-triumphs-africa-film-training-programs-1202785700/
• Africa United trailer and Review: https://beloitfilmfest.org/africa-united/
• Eric Kabera Review in Hope Magazine: http://hope-mag.com/index.php?com=news&option=read&ca=1&a=1598
• 5th edition of Rwanda film Festival: https://rwandafilminstitute.wordpress.com/tag/rwanda/
• Eric Kabera filming skills: I Cant believe I filmed that into a single Night at 3am as a Moment on Earth. Many years ago: https://vimeo.com/9197176
• Africa United review on Variety Magazine: https://variety.com/2010/biz/news/pathe-cheers-on-africa-united-1118014245/
• Africa United Review: https://ssdvpshosting.com/movie-talk/africa-united-review-324379
• Review of 100 Days and Rwanda Cinema, by French Cinema Review https://www.allocine.fr/playlists/cinema/playlist-125/
• Intore trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmOxwLsDX_M
• Keepers of Memory trailer: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x14jyv
• The African Renaissance Collective website: https://thearcexperience.com
• The woman in Me Film website: https://womaninmefilm.com

30 years in the film business

Recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Speaker at the UN

Presented work and presentation at USC, UCLA and more other dozen universities around the world including the Tokyo Foreign Study University.

Leading film and media personality on the African continent

Award winning film maker and scholar.