Dennis okeyo | NATION Film director Ezekiel Onyango during the shooting of In a Better World, in Naivasha.
When the movie In A Better World won the Golden Globe Awards last week — the world’s most prestigious TV and film awards — the win propelled several Kenyan names into the international limelight.
One was that of Ezekiel Onyango, 26, the first assistant producer responsible for planning, scheduling and executing the movie.
Without his efforts, the director would have never have known what was to be shot, where, when, how, and who to involve.
He is known mostly as a filmmaker who has helped produce movies like The first Grader, Lost in Africa, Block-D (TV series), Shuga, Banged Up Abroad (TV series documentary) and The Agency (TV series).
Mr Onyango is the first assistant director in various commercials including Trust, Salama Condoms, Consolidated Bank, KQ Rugby 7’s, Zain “Coverage”, Juicy Fruit, Safaricom “Mpesa”, Coke with Meals “Stills”, Equity Bank “Member”, Telkom Orange — Kenya and Guinness Scout.
What distinguishes his work is largely what distinguishes him as a person: dedication. It’s deep and outrageous. He describes himself as a “cult-filmmaker who sleeps while watching movies, wakes up watching and spends the day either watching or making movies.”
He works together with a team of 27 who have the technical capability for any shooting and production role.
“We also out-source. Out-sourcing makes it cheap,” he says. “For instance, there is no need to import a light bulb when we have somebody locally who deals with lighting.”
Born in Lang’ata, he was raised in Nairobi and Kisumu. His father died while he was in Standard Eight. Mr Onyango was admitted to the University of Nairobi to pursue a degree in Veterinary Medicine after scoring a B+ in his KCSE exams in 2000.
“While in Third Year, I developed a keen interest in movies. That was my turning point,” he remembers. Without any movie-making knowledge, he started visiting filmmakers’ studios, eager to learn basic tricks.
A fast learner, he soon started doing his own shoots. In 2009, he went for a short course at the New York Film Academy.
Mr Onyango speaks thoughtfully about the people who have inspired him throughout his life, personally and professionally.
“These people never get tired of helping you,” the publicity-shy filmmaker says. They include the team at Sky Blue Films and his girlfriend, radio presenter Talia.
The two are the precise opposites: she loves publicity; he runs away from it.
Mr Onyango loves to push boundaries and is committed to routine. At the shooting of In a Better World in Gilgil, he changed the scenes until he was sure he got the best environment for the local militia to operate.
One of the great things about the producer is his orderliness. He is extremely organised. “I love it when everything is in order,” he agrees.
The dread-locked film producer keeps to his routine daily: sleeps at 12 or 1am and wakes up by 7am. He watches a movie daily and learns a new thing on film making daily.
He has developed a fascination with collecting movies and keeping them. “I buy movies from movie stalls and online,” he adds.
His long term interest is to witness the local industry have a film turnover of more than five feature films for theatrical release in a year.
“People like Bob Nyanja are doing an impressive work about it. He did the Rugged Priest last year and he is in the post-production process of another,” he says.
His favourite movies are Shawshank Redemption, The Light (an Italian movie), Tears of the Sun (A story on the civil war in DRC Congo) and Sarafina.
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