Experiences, dreams and challenges | Gwinyai Mparutsa takes the reigns of Afrika Eye
The South West’s biggest celebration of African cinema and culture – Afrika Eye – will return to Bristol this November with a new director in charge.
Gwinyai Mparutsa, originally from Zimbabwe, is currently planning the festival’s 2026 edition running from 19 to 22 November, after taking over from Annie Menter, who remains on the board.
Gwinyai brings to the role wide experience of working in film, publishing, theatre, and on live events which includes establishing a film festival in Ohio, USA; working for print titles such as The London Review of Books, Red and FX and producing music videos for the London-based audio visual studio The Photon Shepherds.
He has been based in Bristol since 2020 and is a producer for the Plymouth-connected Grainey Pictures UK, developing multiple film and television projects
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Gwinyai said: “Afrika Eye’s success and longevity is down to visionary founders Simon Bright and Ingrid Sinclar and then a decade of care by Annie Menter. This has built an audience that comes back, brings friends, and trusts us enough to sit down in front of a film they know nothing about. I want to carry that further – putting Bristol firmly on the map as a home for the best of African storytelling, The BFI talks about cinemas being welcoming spaces where people can find stories that reflect their own lives. That’s the test I’d like us to keep passing, with a younger crowd and a wider one. This is a festival for all Bristolians, and I’d like every part of the city to feel that.”
For his first edition of Afrika Eye, Gwinyai intends to put a focus on the experiences, dreams and challenges of young people in Africa and the diaspora.
The festival will open at Watershed on Thursday 19 November with an as yet unnamed film followed by five further screenings at Watershed and two at Easton Community Centre, supplemented by music, food, discussions and other events.
To keep up to date with festival news, visit www.afrikaeye.org.uk; find Afrika Eye Film Festival on Facebook or follow @afrikaeyefest on Instagram.
Afrika Eye is made possible thanks to funding from Film Hub SW and The Morel Trust.
top image: Africa Eye director Gwinyai Mparutsa
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