Citizen Kwame is a minimalist film about travel visas. It tells the story of Kwame, an African man who wants to travel outside of his compound, but he must first get a visa from a caucasian gatekeeper who controls movements in-and-out of the house. It is only with the help of a newly acquired caucasian girlfriend that he succeeds.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Yuhi Amuli

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to contribute to the age-old conversation about travel visas, specifically on the social and psychological impacts that this process has on people from sub-Saharan Africa.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This film will surprise you. It will leave you thinking.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

This film explores universal themes such as freedom of movement, family and friendship, in a way that is meant to make the audience reflect on them.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I had wanted to make a film about travel visas for a long time ago. Then when I went through a painful and long visa process in 2020, that is when I started writing. After writing and locking the outline, writing the first draft was smooth and fast. The subsequent drafts took a lot longer to write and many changes were influenced by some production decisions.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

From the two screenings that the film has had, the feedback has been great! The discussions after the film are always gripping!

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Yes, it did. Because of the many ideas that people shared with me, the fireback made me wish I could make a second part of the film, to explore the subject matter much further.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I am hoping to get the film seen by as many people as it can reach.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Film festival directors, journalists, buyers and distributors.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would love for the film to start the much-needed conversations about the reforms that need to happen in the visa process.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

1. How necessary are travel visas?

2. Why is it extremely hard for passport holders from the global south to get a visa when it is much easier for passport holders from the west?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am currently working on my next feature film Exodus. a film about the current migration of African workers to the Middle East for work as house miss and other blue-collar jobs.

Interview: February 2023

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Citizen Kwame

Length: 1:21:00

Director: Yuhi Amuli

Producer: Yuhi Amuli

Writer: Yuhi Amuli

About the writer, director and producer:

YUHI AMULI is a film director, screenwriter and Producer from Rwanda. His directorial debut feature A Taste of Our Land premiered at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles and won the best first feature film. The film went on to win the Africa movie academy award for best first film by a director.

Key cast: Kennedy Mazimpaka, Laura Profrock, Xavier Lapouille, Yuhi Amuli

Looking for: journalists and film festival directors

Hashtags used: #CitizenKwame

Funders: Self-funded