Interview: Jordan Riber, director of Siri ya Mtungi

After four months of shooting the television series, Siri ya Mtungi, director Jordan Riber fell in love all over again with Tanzania, its humanity and its beauty.

“I love the cast of Siri, and I know that audiences will love them too,” he said in an interview.

The young director found the huge task daunting at first. His first task was to audition 2000 actors, many professional, but many more first-timers, for a colourful and rich drama that digs deep into peoples’ lives.

“There was so much material to work with. But I found the strong mix of drama and comedy in the story very exciting. We deal with serious issues, that deeply affect the lives of people, but we are doing it in a funny way that people can enjoy.”

The beauty of film, Riber explained, is that it allows the audience to get up “close to our characters.”

“We can enter their thoughts and be a part of their inner most feelings. We can be part of what torments them and what makes them love and hate.”

The series was shot about forty per cent in the studio and sixty per cent on location, with three weeks in Bagamoyo, fifty kilometres north of Dar es Salaam. Riber says the crew was “very well received by the people and authorities in Bagamoyo, and it was a pleasure to shoot in such a beautiful place.”

This outstanding series is due to be aired weekly at 9:30p.m every Sunday on ITV and 9:30p.m every Wednesday on EATV!

xoxo
Missie Popular