Jessica J. Rowlands’ RISE is more than an Oscar®-qualifying short film, it’s a profound act of cinematic courage that elevates Zimbabwean storytelling to the global stage. With unflinching authenticity and emotional clarity, Rowlands’ directorial debut transforms a true local story into a universal meditation on resilience, mentorship, and the power of hope.
Set against the sweeping backdrop of Victoria Falls, RISE follows the extraordinary journey of Tobias Mupfuti, a real-life boxing coach who channels his own difficult upbringing into saving vulnerable children from the same fate. Through his academy and orphanage, Mupfuti offers them not just shelter, but purpose, a message that feels both timely and timeless.
At the heart of the film lies an astonishing performance from Sikhanyiso Ngwenya, discovered through street casting at just eight years old. Ngwenya’s portrayal is raw, instinctive, and utterly captivating, a performance that has rightly earned him Zimbabwe’s National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) for Outstanding Actor. Opposite him, Tongayi Chirisa delivers a deeply textured turn as the reclusive coach, a man haunted by loss yet sustained by his commitment to others. Their onscreen dynamic, tender, restrained, and achingly human, anchors the film’s emotional core.
Rowlands, who grew up in Zimbabwe and has twice won the UCLA Screenwriting Award, brings a rare personal intimacy to her storytelling. Her direction balances grit and grace, infusing the narrative with both cinematic grandeur and a deep sense of belonging. Working alongside pioneering producer Joe Njagu (Cook Off) and cinematographer Jacques Naudé, she crafts an aesthetic that is both strikingly naturalistic and emotionally charged. Naudé’s lens captures the landscapes of Victoria Falls not as postcard vistas, but as living spaces, reflections of struggle, faith, and endurance.
Since making history as the first Zimbabwean film ever selected for the Tribeca Film Festival, RISE has continued its remarkable ascent. Its recent Social Impact Award win at the Oscar®-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festivalunderscores both its artistic excellence and its humanitarian resonance, positioning it as a formidable contender in the 98th Academy Awards® race.
Ultimately, RISE stands as a luminous example of how local stories, when told with honesty and craft, can transcend borders. It is a film that doesn’t just depict survival, it embodies it. Through Rowlands’ compassionate eye and the courageous collaboration of Zimbabwean artists, RISE signals a new chapter for African cinema on the world stage, grounded in truth, brimming with heart, and defiantly full of hope.
★★★★★ (5/5)
“RISE” is now screening on the 2026 Oscar®-qualifying festival circuit.
