I AM PETER (PAGES) BWIRE

I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

I am a storyteller, film executive, festival director, marketer, singer, writer, Chevening scholar, community leader, Mandela Washington Fellow, French-Africa Young Leader, and lecturer.

MY CORE VALUES

PEOPLE

I was born a fisherman on the shores of Lake Victoria (Inyanja), grew up with the maize farmers in Kitale, did my undergraduate studies in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, my postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom, and spent small bits of my professional life in Kampala, New York, Johannesburg, Paris and Dakar. I have seen that all people are different people. My core belief is that I achieve more when seeking out partnerships and collaborations, respecting people, building relationships over transactions, and valuing each individual as they are.
Some of the key individuals and partners have come from the Embassies of France, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and America (all in Kenya), as well as founders, scholars, storytellers, government officials and students.

MY ENDGAME

STORIES

I am a film executive who grew up without film, TV or radio. My earliest influences were newspapers and storybooks from Japan, Uganda, Britain, Kenya and Tanzania. At 9 years old I was attempting to read Romeo and Juliet. In my adult life I took great passion working on stage plays both on and off stage. Stories and pictures have always been part of my life. I want to lead and be part of initiatives, events, projects and moments that help individuals and communities to find ways towards positive transformation and change.
As a founder of the Kitale Film Week, I have already set up a platform that can transform my community for years to come. As a storyteller, I am excited by stories that show the intersections between beliefs, races and cultures, especially in the African rural and small towns. I want to tell these stories through films and short story formats, and help develop storytellers who can go deep into their communities and bring their stories out.

MY PROFESSIONAL & EDUCATION JOURNEY

DIRECTION

I graduated with first class honours from Kenyatta University in 2015 in the BA Theatre Arts and Film Technology programme. I worked as a marketing executive, film festival director and youth programmes coordinator in Nairobi before I was selected by the US department of state to the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship in New York and Washington, DC in 2017. On my return I continued in the same fields, adding lecturing and taking up a media role in Kampala. I was awarded a UK government Chevening Award to study a master's degree in the international film business in Exeter and London where I graduated with a distinction and went back to Kenya in 2020. I have also been selected to the French-African young leaders 2021 program and to the French government's Creation Africa Forum 2023. I have continued working in the film industry, communication and academia. I am currently founder and festival director of the Kitale Film Week.

PROJECTS & WORK

EXCELLENCE

I am proud of the work I have done in the following projects:

  • The Screen Worlds Project: Led by Prof. Lindiwe Dovey at the SOAS, University of London

  • The Kitale Film Week: Supported by the County Government of Trans Nzoia, The French embassy in Kenya, The Kenya Film Commission, and the Dutch Embassy in Kenya

  • University lectures in film: At the United States International University; Moi University; and the University of West Indies

  • Film and TV projects: Angles of My Face (2015); Raised (2022), Kitale Times (2023); Trans Nzoia County Devolution Documentary (2023)

  • The BintiCare Foundation: Women empowerment non-profit in Trans Nzoia which I helped to set up.

  • On the Ground: A photography in residence project that I initiated at the KItale Museum and secured financing for from the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, UK

  • Vessel of Hope Vocational Training Centre, which I helped establish in Kitale.