RISE - Short Film (2025)
official selection at 70+ international film festivals
winner of over 40 international awards
first zimbabwean film ever at tribeca film festival
first zimbabwean film ever to qualify for the academy awards
one orphanage built.
one arts foundation founded.
hundreds of lives changed.
Shooting at a dumpsite in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
On set with Tongayi Chirisa
Jessie's hand-painted storyboards
Wrap beers!
A tricky top shot
Shooting with 200 extras at a boxing gym
Team RISE the night before the shoot
Cool car rig
Location scout
Jessica rehearsing with the RISE kids over an intensive 6-week period before the shoot
The toughest shot of the film: shooting at one of the seven natural wonders of the world in very wet conditions, chasing daylight.
Jessica & Producer Joe Njagu
Guerrilla shooting in a township
Shooting on a dumpsite in Zimbabwe with Tongayi Chirisa in the midday heat
Jessica auditioning actors across Zimbabwe
Team RISE at the wrap party
Shooting on the only moving train in Zimbabwe
Sunrise shoot
Dumpsite
Grateful for the support from Panavision South Africa
National Park shoot
Creamy Inn shoot
Zimbabwean auditions
“Rowlands’ directorial debut is marked by a sophisticated restraint. She avoids clichés and easy sentimentality, opting instead for realism, authenticity, and emotional texture. Her personal connection to Zimbabwe and to Tobias Mupfuti’s story shines through every frame - this is clearly a film made with care, collaboration, and community at its core.”
The Big Sur - Music Video, 2026
