Rungano Nyoni is a Zambian-Welsh director and screenwriter. She is known for the film I Am Not a Witch (2017), which she wrote and directed. The film won Nyoni the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut in 2018 and has also garnered accolades from international film festivals. Her 2009 film, The List, won the Welsh BAFTA Award for Best Short Film.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 17, 1982 (44)
- Lusaka, Zambia
- Writer, director and actor
- 3 on MovieCove · 10 credits in all
What are Rungano Nyoni's films like?
Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 2
Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 2
Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1
Resolved 0 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2
Roles they play
- Allyas Woman in Iron Doors (2010)
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Rungano Nyoni's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 3 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Rungano Nyoni's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
10 credits, 3 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Homemade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
I Am Not a Witch(2017)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Listen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Nordic Factory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Mass of Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Mwansa the Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Iron Doors(2010)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
The Sarah Jane Adventures: Invasion of the Bane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Incidents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 10 titles, 9 of them dated from 2007 to 2024.
Film career
- 2010Screen debut· Iron Doors
Awards
a BAFTA Award and 1 other major award from 8 major nominations, 2012–2026.
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best International Film
- Cannes award, won
- Cannes award, nominated
- BAFTA Award, won · Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best International Film
- Cannes award, nominated ×2
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Short Film
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Rungano Nyoni's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 3 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 51/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Rungano Nyoni work with?
People who share at least 2 of Rungano Nyoni's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Henry B.J. Phiri shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Henry B.J. PhiriShared titles: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), I Am Not a Witch (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Henry B.J. Phiri
- Maggie MulubwaShared titles: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), I Am Not a Witch (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Maggie Mulubwa
- Travers MerrillShared titles: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), I Am Not a Witch (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Travers Merrill
Cinematographers
- David GallegoShared titles: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), I Am Not a Witch (2017)See all 2 shared titles with David Gallego
