Oscar® Hopeful RISE Shines Global Light on Zimbabwe’s Resilience

Jessica J. Rowlands’ powerful directorial debut enters the 98th Academy Awards® race, offering a story of joy and survival born from Zimbabwean voices.

RISE, the Oscar®-qualifying short film from award-winning filmmaker Jessica J. Rowlands, has emerged as a landmark of African cinema in contention for the 98th Academy Awards®. Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it became the first Zimbabwean film ever selected, the film continues to gather global momentum, carried by its message of hope, resilience, and the power of found family.

Written and directed by Rowlands and filmed entirely in Zimbabwe with an all-African cast and crew, RISE is inspired by the extraordinary true story of Tobias Mupfuti, a boxing coach who transformed his own difficult childhood into a lifelong mission: to see and uplift children often overlooked. Through his academy and orphanage in Victoria Falls, Mupfuti has built a community where no child is unseen, creating a found family bound together by belief, support, and joy in the face of adversity. His close involvement in the filmmaking process brings authenticity and emotional truth to every frame.

At the heart of the story is breakout child actor Sikhanyiso Ngwenya, discovered through street casting at just eight years old, whose performance radiates vulnerability, strength, and hope. His work earned him Zimbabwe’s National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) for Outstanding Actor, making him the youngest winner in the award’s history. He is joined by Zimbabwean-born international star Tongayi Chirisa (Mayfair Witches, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), whose layered portrayal of a reclusive coach learning to believe in others again highlights the rare and vital story of two men at different stages of life, in a distinctly African context, forming bonds of care, mentorship, and connection seldom seen on screen.

Rowlands, a two-time UCLA Screenwriting Award winner, spent much of her childhood between London and Zimbabwe, a place that remains a source of deep connection and inspiration. RISE is the culmination of her three-year collaboration with Zimbabwean artists and communities, a film with Zimbabwe in its very DNA – from the landscapes of Victoria Falls to the creative team who brought it to life. It is both a celebration of overlooked voices and a call to protect the youngest and most vulnerable among us, reminding us that a little belief in a little person can go a long way.

The film was produced by Joe Njagu, pioneer of Zimbabwean cinema whose acclaimed film Cook Off became the first Zimbabwean feature acquired by Netflix. Cinematographer Jacques Naudé captures the texture of Victoria Falls with striking realism, embedding the story’s emotional weight within the landscapes and lives of the people it represents.

Since its historic Tribeca premiere just three months ago, RISE has been selected for dozens of international festivals and has already won four awards: the Social Impact Award at the Oscar®-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival; the Shine Global Children’s Resilience Award at the Oscar®-qualifying Indy Shorts Festival; Best Child Actor at the New York Film and Cinematography Awards; and Best Female Director for Rowlands at the Tokyo Film and Screenplay Awards. These honors have not only strengthened the film’s visibility for the 2026 Oscars® but also amplified its message of resilience and hope around the world.

With its celebration of found family, its insistence that no child be left unseen, and its message that belief and community can transform lives, RISE is more than a film -it is a call to courage, protection, and connection carried onto the world’s most prestigious stage.