South African-Ugandan film director and producer Kuda Jemba is going places with his successful television career.
Jemba’s accolades in content production for the smaller screen this year received more accolades as the third season of Life with Kelly Khumalo was named the best structured soapie reality show at the South African Film and Television Award (Saftas).
Jemba directed the season displaying the dramatic life of singer Kelly Khumalo at the time the court drama in the trial over the murder of his boyfriend and soccer star Senzo Meyiwa became the talk of the nation.
Reflecting on the win, Jemba said he felt incredible as if he had just walked on water.
“Getting recognition and validation for the hard work we put in as a team is a feeling I can only describe with a sports analogy because it’s a team sport and we worked like one. I feel like Michael Jordan’s iconic buzzer-beater,” said Jemba.
Looking back at directing the show, the prospect of directing his very first reality show was a daunting challenge that he relished.
“Technically I would say it was a bit challenging at first not being able to plan shots and a few other things a couple of days ahead, but with this, I gained experience of thinking quickly on my feet and always being ready.”
He also shared what it was like shooting the show amidst all the public noise.
“To be honest with you I couldn’t really block the noise out because it was helping us curate content for the show, It was advantageous to us that we were getting all that coverage.”
He said working with Kelly was a bit challenging at the beginning because he had to come to grips with the reality show medium and how different it was from the world.
“The show pretty much covered what was going on in her life I just wished we could have dedicated an episode to Kelly and her sister rekindling their relationship. It was beautiful watch and I wish we could have shared more of that moment with the world.”
The 30-year-old Jemba seems destined for greatness. This year he was also acknowledged as one of Mail & Guardian’s top 200 Young South Africans. He’s also among highly sought-after music video directors in the country and the founder of Chopped and Screwed production company cites the video of one of the biggest songs of 2022, Sete by K.O, as one of his best feats.
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