Based in Harare, 26-year-old creative entrepreneur Rutendo – nicknamed “Tendo” – has a Bachelor’s degree in international marketing, and says she is drawn to filmmaking because she wants to tell stories “the way I was and am destined to tell them!” If given the opportunity to create a TV show, Mahofa would “make a cartoon because I want kids to be fed healthy through their eyes and ears”. When asked what being she’s hoping to learn at Multichoice Talent Factory, Rutendo says, “I want to be able to better articulate my thoughts on paper, understanding the dynamics of broadcast business much better, meaningful relationships and much more.
” Inspired by filmmakers such as Shonda Rhimes (“she writes amazing screenplays”), and Ryan Coogler (“he writes exceptionally well and has managed to direct amazing films and that’s a challenge”), Mahofa says some of the biggest challenge in Africa’s film and television industry is “around capitalising on the industry in a way that makes creatives want to engage wholly, yet also stimulates corporate involvement. Currently this scale is unbalanced in my view, and it will take joint effort to make this industry worthwhile for nations in Africa and for Africa as a whole.”