Meet Nicole Panashe | Producer, Writer and Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Panashe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in Zimbabwe, and at a young age my family moved to South Africa. I come from a sports background, playing tennis competitively in juniors and in college, so when it came to producing and creating films, I actually started out just making videos for fun. When I was a kid, I was definitely the one that would look out the window on the car ride home, and imagine a whole music video to the song that was playing. Then I started making sports videos and home movies. I had no experience and no idea of any filming techniques or anything. I would literally just film the people around me (family, friends, colleagues) on my phone and edit it all together when I got home. I would always be so excited to edit just for fun. Then it got to a point where making videos became my form of communication. I enjoyed the idea of appealing to emotions through visuals, art and music. I ended up receiving positive feedback and inquiries about my video making, so I started a videography page in college. It was right after I graduated, that I decided to expand fully into film and media production, and that videography page soon became what is known now as Kontinental Media (@kontimedia), where I produce and direct music videos, short films and documentaries.

My background and upbringing greatly informs my work and the topics that I choose to explore. I have been to so many countries and experienced different cultures, whilst sharing my own, that I try to embrace this in my work, particularly when I write. Being an athlete as well gives me such a unique perspective in the film world. I get to pull from my own experiences and produce stories that I believe would be helpful and shed light on parts of the sports and athletic experience that are rarely touched upon in the media. As a young, female, black, African creative, I believe I represent all of the communities connected to my identity. I have taken the responsibility to tell stories that resonate with these communities, but that also stay true to who I am as a person and my voice as a storyteller.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always had a creative eye from a young age, but not necessarily talent. The first film class I ever took in undergrad, I nearly failed. I had no idea what I was doing and it showed in all of my projects. All I knew was I liked making videos for fun, but I was hit with a harsh reality check. After that, I thought my calling was making highlight videos at events or behind the scenes videos for artists on tour. Then for some ambitious reason, I decided to apply to film school, and take the time to fully learn about the craft and my skills as a creative. That changed my perspective and allowed me study and become educated in the areas I was struggling with, bringing me to today where I am now confident enough to produce, direct and write my own films. It was definitely not an easy path.

I am particularly most proud of my recent projects: My documentary ‘The Right Track’ which I was awarded a grant from the Trail Running Film Festival to produce and direct, and ‘SEEK’ an experimental music dance film that serves as a visual art piece, in collaboration with the music of local Atlanta indie artist, Diamant. Both these projects are in the early days on the film festival circuit. Apart from writing and directing these projects, I also produced them on my own which was quite a big task. Since I worked with 2-4 people crews for both, I had to manage and coordinate all of the production elements, and still make sure my creative vision was captured fully throughout. Optimizing my producer instincts has been the greatest lesson for me. It has actually allowed me to think differently when approaching a production, and I am grateful that it is a skill that has taught me to be efficient, timely and a problem-solver.

When it comes to my style and creativity, I always try to lean on the ideas that allow me to use my voice in unique ways. This sometimes means being vulnerable enough to share my own experiences in order to make something that I haven’t really seen explored enough on screen before. There are many things that make me different and I use that to my advantage. I always look to create projects that express my dynamic upbringing and cultural background, and passions in stories centered around African voices, mental health, youth, sports, music and dance. There are gems in the African culture waiting to be told and I want to use my voice to elevate African stories in the best way I can. As a young person, I want to tell stories that resonate with and empower young people. Young people are the future, so my goal is to use my work and creativity as an educational and developmental tool. Someday, I hope to become an established filmmaker, with the future goal of creating my own shows for television, and films that give a platform and visibility to African stories and minorities.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am very much an introvert who enjoys staying at home/indoors most days, so if I am ever outside for a non-work activity for some reason, it would definitely be a special event to make the most of. I think my go to’s would be heading to the museum or an art/painting exhibit, maybe stopping by a serene spot a the park or Beltline, and finishing the day with a home movie and a nice warm dessert at a café (Cafe Intermezzo has the best cheesecake!)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout my small group of buddies from film school, aka my Konti Crew, that have helped and supported me in all of my projects, definitely would not have been able to create as much as I did without them. I would also like to shout out my friend Giuli who recommended me for this, I would like to recommend her for this as well!

Website: https://vimeo.com/user107756629

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kontimedia/

Other: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolepics14/

Image Credits
Darshan Patel (@lilbollyhood)