Biography

Forbes Africa 30 under 30 recipient Kemiyondo Coutinho is a multi-hyphenate writer, actor, and director who writes for the fish out of the water. Whilst her storytelling plays double dutch between hard-hitting themes and sharp-biting comedic commentary, the through line in all her work remains making people feel seen. A self-proclaimed African nomad, Kemiyondo credits attending boarding school at UWC High School, which was home to students from nearly 60 nationalities at any given time, with providing the foundation for how she views the world.

Garnering multiple international awards, including NBC Universal's Harness Social Impact Award, her short film KYVENU made a loud directorial debut. Kemiyondo is also the inaugural recipient of John Singleton's Filmmaker's Fellowship, Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Filmmaking Fellowship, Shadow & Act's Rising Star Award and has been named one of OKAYAfrica's 100 Women of Africa To Watch.

In the spirit of promoting Ugandan Female Filmmakers, she founded the #fivefor5 initiative, which grants five Ugandan female filmmakers the opportunity to produce a short film of their own.

Kemiyondo prides herself on being kind and efficient.
- IMDb mini biography by: Kemiyondo Coutinho

I apply for something every week. Yup. Every week. Now think of how many things I announce that I have actually gotten. I hustle for more than I receive. As it should be. You never know which one is the door. So keep trying that key in all of them.

I think being a female is hard. I think being an artist is hard. t is hard being female in America. It is hard being African (or the other) in America. I create anyway So put those things together and of course it is hard. I got over it and I created anyway...and threw shade about it on Twitter whilst I did. It is hard being Black in America. I I don't wait for the audition, I create my own work and start from there. It is hard but it is a calling not a choice.

As women, we are constantly put under pressure and we thrive under it. We constantly have people hanging a clock in our face and telling us our time is running out-sounds like my producer. We have always been given the bare minimum and been told to make the most out of it-looks just like my film budgets. We have the ability, should we want to, to create a whole new human being-what is a film to us? That is nothing. If you have walked through this life as a woman you have what it takes to be a filmmaker.

Make it. Do it. You already know how.