Biography

John Riber

John Riber is an independent American filmmaker born and raised in India. He started making short documentary and narrative films in India and Bangladesh before moving to Zimbabwe in 1987 where his feature films Neria, More Time, Everyone’s Child and Yellow Card garnered huge audiences across the continent. Neria (1991) established the all-time theatrical box office record in Zimbabwe, surpassed marginally by Titanic seven years later.

In 2004, John moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he set up a dynamic arts studio hub and produced a number of Swahili feature films, including Tunu, Fatuma and Bahasha (all licensed to Netflix Africa) as well as two seasons of the TV Series Siri ya Mtungi and several radio serial dramas. He also established a creative distribution brand, Swahiliwood, to showcase and mentor emerging East African filmmakers.

After 32 years in Africa, John is now settled in Washington State and enjoys working as a producer and film editor.
- IMDb mini biography by: John Riber