Ekwa’s award-winning and critically acclaimed feature film Farewell Amor premiered in competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, garnering 100% on Rottentomatoes, and was bought for distribution by IFC Films. Previous to that, she has written & directed several shorts, most recently award-winning comedy Soko Sonko (The Market King), and Farewell Meu Amor starring Tony Award nominee Sahr Ngauja, and actress Nana Mensah of the famed series An African City. For Farewell Amor Ekwa was awarded the Jerome Foundation Grant, Tribeca All Access Fellowship, Cine Qua Non Lab Fellowship, IFP/No Borders, and Sundance Feature Film Development Fellowship. Ekwa has also written & directed several drama series for mainstream broadcasters in Kenya and MNET South Africa, including The Agency, MNET’s first-ever original hour-long Kenyan drama series. In the past Ekwa has been adjunct faculty at Tisch School of the Arts, as well as a recurring mentor in Mira Nair’s East Africa based Maisha Screenwriting Labs. Currently, Ekwa is the resident educational instructor with the African Film Festival, and teaches Screenwriting at The New School and Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, Brooklyn College. One of Ekwa’s key goals as an artist is to transform our society’s images and relationships with African cultures, and to empower African filmmakers in telling their stories.
The Agency
2009
- Created/Directed by: Ekwa Msangi
- DP: Nick Oloo
Set in the fast-paced, demanding world of advertising, featuring a stellar cast including veteran star David Mulwa and rising star Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, The Agency is must-see local drama, filmed in Nairobi. M-Net’s first ever drama series created in Kenya, it is an explosive 13-part series directed by Ekwa Msangi.
A 13-part, 48 minute television series, Televised continent-wide starting January 20th, 2009.
Commissioned by MNET. All Season One episodes directed by Ekwa Msangi.
Behind the Scenes
2009
- Directed by: Ekwa Msangi
- DP: Sammy Maina
A 25-min television magazine pilot episode which puts a spotlight on the crews and casts behind some of Kenya’s hottest television shows.
Created as a pitch for Kenya network programmers, currently in circulation.
Block-D
2009
- Directed by: Ekwa Msangi
- DP: Eric Ndung’u
An original series centered on the dramatic and often comical relationships between a colorful group of tenants in an apartment building in Nairobi’s Kalifonia estate. The show is a satirical take on their often melodramatic interactions, providing an inside look into the development of community, where strangers become neighbors, friends and maybe even family.
Televised country-wide starting October 2009.
Commissioned by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Produced by Spielworks Media.
All Season One episodes directed by Ekwa Msangi.
Higher Learning
Promo Pitch
2009
- Directed by: Ekwa Msangi
- DP: Nick Oloo
A pitch created for sponsors of a new 25min television series based in a fictional Kenyan University.
The show was commissioned by NTV Kenya, Produced by Spielworks Media, aired country-wide on NTV starting April 16, 2010.
Farewell Amor (Working Title)
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Black Panther: Open Letter [in praise of] director Ryan Coogler
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Self Care in a Time of Madness…
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yaaaasssss!!! https://t.co/9sIBaAOXlf
This was such a fun conversation and review!! thank you ladies for your thoughtful breakdown! you have a new fan here as well! https://t.co/Qrs1phtcfI
[NEW EPISODE] This week, we reviewed family-drama #FarewellAmor 💔👨👩👧 (2020) from dir. @ekwapics. Starring @BewareOfTime, @LadyzjahKitty & #JaymeLawson
LISTEN+SUBSCRIBE 🎧
#TheNewChitlinCircuit #PodsInColor
https://t.co/1K4jNmt79b https://t.co/rhCaeqPlz1
Despite living in NY for 20+ yrs, my sharpest memory of appreciating #DMX's unbridled energy is dancing to his music at a club in Uganda and being completely entranced by that energy. In that moment I felt saved and seen. May he rise in power!✊🏾
this was one of my faves with one of my faves!! https://t.co/HDpeJIXlLd
📷 What an incredible week at the @luxorafricanfilmfestival where @farewellamorfilm took home Best Diaspora Film! Thanks to all these wonderful people for making the week so memorable. Shukran Luxor! (at Luxor, Egypt)... https://t.co/Qx4e5ccOnI
What an incredible week at the @luxorafricanfilmfestival where @farewellamorfilm took home Best Diaspora Film! Thanks to all these wonderful people for making the week so memorable. Shukran Luxor! @ Luxor, Egypt https://t.co/uRDrcXp5Ds
We need to care about the characters, worry about them. Car chases don't buy tickets - *people* buy tickets. Make the action scenes about *people*. https://t.co/hDbVpG47jp #scriptchat #Film #amwriting #writing #screenwriting #scriptsecrets
FAREWELL AMOR, film by @ekwapics #CQNL2018 at the @humanrightsfest
Opnes on Thursday 22 april | 6:30PM
ACMI CINEMA 1
#CQNLFamily https://t.co/xxyHroablz
yaaaasssss!!! https://t.co/9sIBaAOXlf
And now...a word from @ekwapics, the brilliant Tanzanian American director whose multi-award winning, Sundance hit, feature debut: FAREWELL AMOR opens #hraff on April 22!
Tickets: https://t.co/UzfTmP3f4J https://t.co/ZFgu4AhHML
This was such a fun conversation and review!! thank you ladies for your thoughtful breakdown! you have a new fan here as well! https://t.co/Qrs1phtcfI
[NEW EPISODE] This week, we reviewed family-drama #FarewellAmor 💔👨👩👧 (2020) from dir. @ekwapics. Starring @BewareOfTime, @LadyzjahKitty & #JaymeLawson
LISTEN+SUBSCRIBE 🎧
#TheNewChitlinCircuit #PodsInColor
https://t.co/1K4jNmt79b https://t.co/rhCaeqPlz1