The film, currently in production, is funded by Amazon MGM Studios, a subsidiary of Amazon. It boasts a supporting cast that includes Bresha Webb, Whoopi Goldberg, Ernie Hudson, Giulio Berruti, Sarayu Blue, and Justin Chatwin. Kemiyondo will also serve as the executive producer.
Ugandan filmmaker Coutinho Kemiyondo has co-written a romantic comedy titled Sisters in Italy, which will be directed by renowned American filmmaker Tyler Perry. Kemiyondo collaborated on the script with actress and producer Tika Sumpter.
Tyler Perry and Coutinho Kemiyondo
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Who is Coutinho Kemiyondo?
Born in Kampala, Uganda, to Sheila and Alex Coutinho, Coutinho Kemiyondo is an acclaimed playwright, actress, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She founded the music platform A Ka Dope, which promotes emerging Ugandan artists, and her directorial debut Kyenvu won Best Narrative Short Film at the Pan African Film Festival. She has also been featured on CNN's African Voices.
Though born in Uganda, Kemiyondo spent her early years in Swaziland before attending the United World College in Waterford Kamhlaba. She later graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Oregon with a double major in Theatre and Communications, and earned her Master’s in Fine Arts from The American Conservatory Theater.
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Kemiyondo has received numerous accolades, including being featured in Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30 list in 2018. She is the founder and artistic director of NUVO, a festival that addresses social and artistic issues in Uganda, particularly HIV/AIDS awareness. Additionally, she founded Kemistry Klass, an arts organisation aimed at creating change through the arts.
Her previous achievements include winning Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Filmmaking Fellowship for her script on immigration, which led to her film GREEN being produced and featured on Hart's LOL Network. Kemiyondo's first production, Jabulile, highlighted the struggles of Swazi women traders and has been performed in South Africa, Canada, New York, and Chicago.
