Bright Ngabo, Armand Ikuzwe Bitega and Nailla Simbi, posing for a photo in Kigali, Rwanda on August 12, 2026. Photo: Iradukunda Heaven, bird story agency
07 September 2026
Africa’s film industry is expanding opportunities for women to work behind the camera. As Rwandan Nailla Simbi transitions from editing to directing, she carves out a spot in the technical side of filmmaking.
Iradukunda Heaven, bird story agency
Nailla Simbi had already envisioned the shot well before the camera began to roll. She had been revisiting the screenplay, creating a mood board, and discussing the scenario with the stylist, gaffer, director of photography, and other crew members. But as filming began, the plan changed.
One of the lights was out of service. A location didn’t resemble what she had anticipated. An artist had a distinct walk. Instead of defaulting to her initial idea, Simbi found another one.
“I always have a plan,” she said. “But when it doesn’t go the way I wanted it to go, I think outside of the box and I try to do something different. And sometimes it ends up being better than I was planning it before.”
That instinct has guided Simbi throughout her career, which began behind a computer screen and has carried her onto film sets as an editor, camera operator, and director.
Today, she is a filmmaker and director at Dric Ent, pursuing a career in cinematography.
Across Africa, positions in the film industry continue to be heavily dominated by men. According to UNESCO, women make up less than 10% of film professionals in portions of Central, Eastern, and Western Africa, while Rwanda is one of a few nations where women make up 30% or more of professionals working behind and in front of the camera. Men continue to overwhelmingly dominate technical roles.
Her path to filmmaking was not a straightforward one.
Simbi began with editing, spending hours examining film that had already been shot. The work enabled her to recognize what made a good image and what made a shot fall short.
She started looking at footage differently. A wide shot can create space. A close-up can alter the emotion of a scene. A diversified camera angle could speak to the audience in ways that language could not.
“Being behind the computer editing, it requires you to know what a good frame looks like, what a good angle looks like,” she said. “So it was very easy for me to go into camera operating.”
Simbi grew up in a creative environment. Her brother is a director and cinematographer, and watching him work taught her what happens when a production does not go as planned.
“Growing around him has shown me how he does his things, how he solves problems, how he approaches projects,” she explained.
But familiarity with filmmaking was no guarantee for automatic acceptance into the industry.
According to Rwandan film producer Armand Ikuzwe Bitega, women’s rise into senior creative and technical roles can be influenced by production structures and perceptions about the demands of specific jobs. He believes that prejudicial expectations might influence who is given opportunities to gain experience on set.
Bitega explained that fair access to roles in the film industry is impacted not by women’s ability, but by, he said, “how the industry is set up”. Misplaced prejudices about women and women’s working ability can affect the decision-making of those in power. “Even as somebody who’s leading a creative agency, you find yourself having that prejudice,” he says, describing the instinct to avoid asking a woman to stay for long production hours.
He sees women’s participation as important to the future of the industry.
“I have seen firsthand what happens when women are empowered. And I think that’s one way our industry is going to grow,” he said.
Simbi claims that early on, some people questioned if she was truly responsible for the work under her name.
“I was getting credited, but people thought someone else was doing it,” she said. “And that was really bad for me because I was like, I’m putting in the work, I’m doing everything that I can but people still cannot believe that I’m the one behind this work.”
There was little she could do about the doubt except to continue producing work.
Rwanda already has spaces dedicated to changing the equation. The Urusaro International Women Film Festival, founded by CineFEMMES Rwanda, provides female filmmakers and technicians with training, production support, and opportunities to showcase their work. According to UNESCO, the festival’s eighth edition took place in 2024, with 11 films receiving honors.
One of the projects that put Simbito the test as a director was J-Sha and Andy Bumuntu’s music video “Do it”. The challenge was not just to create an idea, but also to articulate it effectively enough for actors and crew to translate it into a visual medium.
“You have to tell them so that what they’re doing can match your vision,” she explained.
The production also required her to work with twins, creating photos that made it clear to the audience that they were seeing two distinct persons. This was her first experience directing twins.
Looking back, she can already see what she would change.
“If I would do it right now, I would do it different,” she said. “But the way I did it, it was good as well.”
Simbi’s learning style includes the ability to reflect on her work without dismissing it.
Rwandan gaffer Bright Ngabo, who has worked on her productions, claims she is confident enough to make sound decisions while enabling other crew members to contribute.
“She communicates well,” Ngabo said. “And also, she gives a room for the crew also to participate, to bring their ideas.”
For Simbi, building confidence has also entailed being willing to step back when there is something new to learn.
She is particularly interested in cinematography; researching lighting, composition, cameras, and equipment before the filming begins, to see how the story can be built.
“I would love to see myself being a cinematographer on those kinds of projects,” she said.
Her ambition extends beyond her own career. Simbi wants to see more Rwandan women pursue technical responsibilities on film sets, particularly positions typically held by men.
Her ambition is simple: to work on productions where women are behind the camera as directors, editors, cinematographers, and gaffers, and eventually on an all-female team.
For now, she is still learning.
She observes how the light falls on a subject. She explores how a camera angle changes a scene. She considers what she would do differently the next time.
The woman who used to organize other people’s films now creates her own. And when the shoot doesn’t go as planned, she knows what to do.
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