Peres Owino, Los Angeles, California

Peres Owino is an Assistant to the Executive Vice President of  Creative Advertising at Paramount Pictures.  She has written a play called Beauty From Ashes which is scheduled to be part of the Black Medley Film Series on April 25,2009 at Stage 52 in Los Angeles, California.

Beauty for Ashes Flyer

Beauty for Ashes Flyer

The story is about a Kenyan woman who takes a journey to herself–a witty and honest look at how the ghosts of our past terrorize us and how that little voice in our head may be our only source of refuge.

Be warned that there is brief nudity so you might not want to take the kids.

Owino has a long resume filled with several productions that she has either directed or acted in.  Her dedication to her art is making her a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles theater scene.

Spielworks Media – Making Film Production A Reality

Spielworks Media

Spielworks Media

You just can’t keep a good Kenyan down, and that is very evident when you see what these two are doing!  Loyce Kareri and Dorothy Ghettuba, two Kenyan Jewels, are not content to rest on their laurels.

They  have founded Spielworks, an independent film and television concept development and production company that is already activley involved in several different projects.

Keep your eyes peeled as we watch what they come up with and keep you informed.

Kulvinder Ghir

Kulvinder Ghir

Kulvinder Ghir, born in Nairobi, Kenya, is a British actor, comedian and writer of South Asian (Ramgarhia/Tarkhan Sikh family) ancestry, best known for his roles in Rita, Sue & Bob Too, Blood & Peaches, and the sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.

In Goodnes Gracious Me he specialised in the characters “Chunky Lafunga”, a sexy Bollywood star, superhero Bhangra Man, and one half of the “Bhangramuffins” duo (the other half being Sanjeev Bhaskar). He has also provided voices for the BBC Three show Monkey Dust.

His play Dusky Warriors premiered at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1995. He also contributed material to the 2001 sketch show The Real McCoy.

Ghir speaks English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Swahili fluently. Before he becoming an actor, he worked as a market trader and stand up comedian. He has two children with his parter Blandine.

Source: Wikipedia

Manoj Sood, Toronto, Canada

Manoj Sood in Little Mosque on the Prairie

Manoj Sood is a Canadian actor who currently plays the character Baber Siddiqui in the CBC Television sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie. Manoj Sood who is of Indian origin, was born in Mombasa, Kenya, but grew up in Western Canada. Sood entered the entertainment world in 1994 and has been working steadily for the past decade. His list portfolio of music can be found here.

Sood has now appeared in more than 40 television and feature film productions. He has appeared on popular television shows like Da Vinci’s Inquest, The Dead Zone, Romeo! and Dead Like Me as well as numerous others. Sood has also acted in popular films such as Meltdown and Rat Race. He has finished working in the film The Watchmen which is slated to come out in 2009.

His is a brother to Veena Sood who is also a film and television actress.

Veena Sood, Canada

Veena Sood is a Canadian-based film and television actress. Born in Nairobi, Kenya she emigrated to Canada with her family.

Veena is a Canadian actress of Punjabi descent. She works in both the U.K. and Canada, and has starred in ITV’s The Changeling featuring Ray Winstone and Parminder Nagra. She’s also starred in the UK film Nina’s Heavenly Delights, as well as the Canada/UK film, Touch of Pink, which received a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival.

Veena Sood in costume

Veena co-founded Calgary’s Loose Moose Theatre Company best known for their comedy Improvisation work. Veena also performs one-woman improvised shows at Canadian and U.K. comedy festivals with her character “The Maharani”. She has been seen on television in recurring roles in the series Robson Arms, Little Mosque on the Prairie, and Godiva’s, as well as in the feature films Connie and Carla, Two for the Money, Posession, and Helen.

She is related to Ashwin Sood, Sarah McLachlan’s drummer and husband, and Manoj Sood who plays Baber on CBC’s Little Mosque on the Prairie. Read more about her latest movies on her website.

Dorothy Ghettuba, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dorothy Ghettuba, Canada

Dorothy is a Canadian Based Kenyan actor, singer and writer for film and television. As a musician she is part of the renown Pan-African a capella group Soul Influence. She has shared the stage with Alicia Keyes, Nelly Furtado, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Angelique Kidjo, The Barenaked Ladies and Oliver Mutukudzi.

Dorothy’s owns THiNK Productions, a company that specializes in the creation and development of concepts and material for film and television. These includes documentaries, short films, feature films, reality TV shows, talk shows, drama series’ and 3 or 4 part mini series’. She is currently writing a Canadian produced feature film to be shot in Africa in 2009. She has developed various television shows that are in the option stage including CrossRoads (a drama Series), 20th Law (a drama series) and My Brother My Keeper (a three-part mini series) amongst other things.

Dorothy was recently appointed as the Managing Director of Sterling Quality Canada (SQEC) a subsidiary of Sterling Quality Entertainment Kenya Limited. SQEC was created to foster both creative and business partnerships between Kenya and Canada, it provides a platform for the exchange of ideas giving Kenyan and Canadian performing artistes, directors, editors, writers and creative artists and opportunity to work and experience working in both countries creating a partnership where both parties can appreciate and learn from each other’s skill sets.

With Africa’s growing presence on the international entertainment scene, Sterling Quality Entertainment Canada wants to foster relationships that will yield first-class entertainment as enhancing the mutual respect and understanding between the two diverse worlds of entertainment – a requirement necessary in an increasingly international, multicultural, and globally interdependent world.

Deep Roy, California

Deep Roy

Born Mohinder Purba, in Nairobi, Kenya, Deep Roy is a tall dwarf who stands 4 feet, 4 inches tall. A multifaceted actor, he has an impressive acting portfolio which includes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the Oompah Loompah), The Corpse Bride, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, to name a few. He was a puppeteer in the original Star Wars trilogy, and has lent his voice to memorable characters like Teeny Weeny, in the Neverending Story, and Mr. SaggyBottom in Big Fish. His impressive resume can be found here . If you are interested in learning about his latest endeavors, visit his fan site.

Source: IMDB

Kiran Shah, United Kingdom

Kiran Shah

Kiran Shah was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1956. His acting portfolio is impressive and includes Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Titanic, Braveheart, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (he was the scale double for Elijah Woods), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the original Superman and Superman II. He is also a published poet with works in both Britain and the U.S. His official website highlights his works. Kiran is a ‘Guinness World Record’ holder as the ‘shortest professional stuntman currently working in film’ since October 2003.

Source: Answers

Edi Mue Gathegi, California

Edi Gathegi in Crank

Copyright Lakeshore Entertainment

A graduate of New York University’s acting program, Edi Gathegi is making a name for himself in movie circles. He has been featured in ‘House, M.D.’ and, from what I’ve seen, this brother is going to have a great career.

He has a recurring role as Cole in House and has been a guest star in Lincoln Heights as Boa. These are pretty heavyweight roles and he does a great job.

Filmography:
2007 Death Sentence (Bodie)
2007 Gone Baby Gone (Cheese)
2007 House: Season 04 (Cole)
2006 Crank

Recurring Role
House
Cole

Guest Star
House
The Right Stuff
Cole

Lincoln Heights
The F Word
Boa

Lincoln Heights
Blowback
Boa

Lincoln Heights
Abduction (Click to watch)
Boa

Veronica Mars

I Know What You’ll Do Next Summer
Zeke Molinda

Mkawasi Mcharo, Washington DC

 Mkawasi Mcharo

Mkawasi Mcharo is a trailblazer in the production world.   With several academic and productive works under her belt, she has set up a production company whose mission is to have Africans tell their story.  She is Vice President of the Kenyan Community Abroad, instructor for John Robert Powers, and a professor of drama and theater at South Eastern University in Washington D.C.  For more information about this extremely talented lady, go to the Balozi, Inc. website.