Though she may be one of the youngest MTF interns, Michelle Achieng Ang’awa is already working as a second camera assistant with the vision of becoming a director of photography and screenwriter in the future. “I look up to Lupita Nyong’o. She taught me that all dreams are valid and through her I have been able to discover my true self,” says the 18-year-old Kenyan. Michelle hopes that MTF will help her bring Africa’s film industry to the spotlight.
She is interested in various kinds of art forms, especially fine arts, music and fashion, and says she will bring her creativity and open mind to the year-long programme.
“I believe that anything is possible with the right amount of planning and I never give up without a fight,” she says.
Despite the lack of financial investment she has witnessed in the local creative industry, Michelle believes that by tapping into the undiscovered talent and creativity, through initiatives such as MTF, “we can work together to make something extremely formidable”. She is exceptionally optimistic about the African film industry’s future and hopes that by developing her skills as a storyteller she will be able to motivate other aspiring creatives.
If she were to have creative freedom to produce her own TV show she would take on The It Girl series – a spin-off of Gossip Girl, written by Cecily Von Ziegesar. “Reading the books always makes me feel like I could bring these characters to life.”