WILDSCREEN FESTIVAL TANZANIA FILMMAKER CASE STUDIES: Hans Cosmas Ngoteya
In the latest in a series of Tanzanian filmmaker case studies, we meet Hans Cosmas Ngoteya, co-founder of Ngoteya Wild.
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WILDSCREEN FESTIVAL TANZANIA FILMMAKER CASE STUDIES: Erica Rugabandana
In the latest in a series of Tanzanian filmmaker case studies, we meet Erica Rugabandana, founder of Sima Wild Film.
WILDSCREEN FESTIVAL TANZANIA FILMMAKER CASE STUDIES: Eliya Lawrence Uzia
In the latest in a series of Tanzanian filmmaker case studies, we meet Eliya Lawrence Uzia, co-founder of Tanzania Wildlife Media Association (TaWiMa).
Meet Millie – Our Events & Festival Manager!
1. Tell us a bit about your role!
So, I’m the Events and Festival manager at Wildscreen. I manage the events programme so that essentially means I look after our Networking Events, our monthly industry webinar programme, film screenings, and larger upcoming events as well. I look after the event logistics, think about selecting appropriate speakers for events, manage the recruitment of volunteers, liaise with sponsors and stakeholders, help with social media, just a bit of everything you need to do to make an event happen.
2. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s a bit of a long winded story! I used to work in events after my Undergrad for UK Theatre, a membership organisation for professionals working in the theatre industry. After a few years doing that and a number of different roles, I then decided to go back to uni to do a Masters in `Film Curation, looking specifically at festivals and moving image archives. During that time, I worked and volunteered for as many film festivals as possible up in Glasgow so that included Glasgow Short Film Festival, DOCUMENT Human Rights Film Festival, Havana Glasgow Film Festival, and others. After that I did a PhD in Film down in Exeter and whilst I was there I put-on film events that championed women filmmakers and screenwriters. When the PhD was coming to an end, I saw an opportunity to join the Wildscreen team for Wildscreen Festival 2022 and jumped at the opportunity!
3. What motivates you?
The team is a big part in motivating me. It’s a really nice small team and we are all really committed and work hard. There’s just like a really nice kind of in-it-together feeling. But also, more broadly, just what Wildscreen is about; supporting natural world storytellers and helping diversify and develop storytelling in the natural world industry is a mission that really drives me.
4. If you could change one thing about the natural history industry, what would it be?
I think it is really important to make it more accessible and create more opportunities for people that are underrepresented and come up against barriers whilst trying to break in.
5. What are your career goals?
I’m really happy with the role I’m in now and just want to continue in focusing on broadening Wildscreen’s events, especially our screening programme.
6. Favourite moment working at Wildscreen?
I’m sure others have said it already but that Thursday during the festival was just a really nice moment for the team because we’d all worked so hard. It was almost the end of the festival and it just felt great seeing the industry celebrate, but also as a team coming together to celebrate all we’d achieved. It was a really special moment.
7. What’s your favourite story from nature?
I loved ‘My Octopus Teacher’, just how close Craig Foster became with the octopus and capturing different behaviours because of their really strong bond with one another. I thought it was interesting focusing on that one animal and becoming so familiar with it over the course of a year. It was just emotionally very heart-breaking as well. I found it all really touching. Definitely left a long-lasting impression.
8. Describe working for Wildscreen in three words!
Busy. Fun. Motivating.
9. If you could turn into any animal for a day, what would you be?
I think I would go for a bird of some sort but I’m not sure what kind… One that could fly though because I just think that would be amazing. Maybe a seabird? A puffin? Yeah, Puffins are super cute, and I could go to Skomer and be with all my Puffin buddies. That’d be nice, haha.
10. What’s a fun fact about you?
I’m obsessed with Eurovision. I think it would even be my mastermind topic…
