Hiring a local crew in Rwanda: what to expect

Hiring a local crew in Rwanda saves flights, visas and days of travel. It also brings people who know the roads, the languages and how to approach a community. The question is which roles you can fill locally and which you should bring.

Published views are cautious. Pact's country note for UK producers says very little camera, grip and lighting equipment exists locally, points to Nairobi as the closest place with all the standard kit, and advises that key crew and equipment be brought in from abroad.¹ A 2022 GIZ report on the film industries of Kenya and Rwanda found that demand for new and specialised skills had grown faster than the supply of well-trained, experienced professionals.⁴

Those views are written with larger productions in mind. In our experience, documentary, news feature, corporate and NGO shoots can often find camera operators, photographers, sound recordists, editors, drone pilots and producers in Kigali. Quality varies, so judge each crew on its recent work and match your plan to the kind of shoot you are running.

A typical split for a documentary or programme film looks like this.

Often hired locally:

• Local producer or production manager, who handles permits, schedules and logistics.
• Camera operator and camera assistant, sometimes with their own camera package.
• Sound recordist with radio microphones and a boom.
• Interpreter and translator for Kinyarwanda, French, Kiswahili and English.
• Drone pilot. Operators need an activity permit from the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, so ask to see it.⁵
• Drivers and vehicles suited to rural roads.
• Photographer for stills alongside the film.

Sometimes brought in: a director who knows your brand, a specialist such as a steadicam operator or colourist, and large lighting or grip packages. Ask your local partner what they can supply before you pack. Some crews bring only the director and leave the rest to a local film crew.

A local producer is not the same as a fixer. For that role, see our guide on working with a fixer in Rwanda.

You can hire individual freelancers directly, but booking through a registered Rwandan production company is simpler for most foreign teams. One contract covers the whole crew. One invoice covers fees, kit and transport. One partner is responsible if something goes wrong.

It also helps with tax. The Rwanda Revenue Authority levies a 15% withholding tax on payments made by resident persons, including tax-exempt entities, to individuals not registered with the Rwandan tax administration, or to registered taxpayers without a recent income tax declaration.² If your organisation has a Rwandan entity and pays freelancers directly, check this with your finance team. A registered company invoices formally and handles its own obligations.

Ask any company you consider for:

• Proof of registration and a sample invoice.
• Showreels or recent work in the same genre.
• Names and roles of the crew they will actually send.
• A kit list, with makes and models.
• Their consent and safeguarding procedures.

Most disagreements on location are about time and money. Settle them in writing first:

• The working day: how many hours, when it starts and whether travel counts.
• Overtime: when it begins and how it is paid.
• Travel days: paid in full, at half rate or not at all.
• Per diems, meals and accommodation for days outside Kigali.
• Rest: at least one full day off on long shoots.
• Cancellation: what is owed if the shoot moves or is cut short.
• Payment: deposit, balance, currency and method.

Journeys on rural and hilly roads often take longer than maps suggest. Long days of driving followed by long days of filming cause tired crews and mistakes. Build the schedule around realistic travel time.

Remember the permits too. A local crew does not remove the need for a photography and video shooting permit, applied for on IremboGov,⁶ or, for journalists working for foreign media, accreditation from the Rwanda Media Commission.⁷ Our step-by-step guide to the Rwanda filming permit covers the process.

Kinyarwanda is spoken across the country. Many people in Kigali also speak English, French or Kiswahili, but rural interviews usually need an interpreter. A crew member who speaks Kinyarwanda natively changes the tone of an interview. People relax, and answers become fuller.

Let your local crew lead first contact with communities and local leaders. They will know who to greet, how to explain the project and how to ask for consent in a way people understand. Agree with them that consent is explained in the participant's own language, that people can refuse, and that children are filmed only with a parent's or guardian's permission.

Data is part of consent. Rwanda's Law No. 058/2021 of 13/10/2021 relating to the protection of personal data and privacy is enforced by the National Cyber Security Authority (NCSA), and public and private institutions have been asked to register as data controllers, processors or both.⁸ Sharing, transferring or storing personal data outside Rwanda is restricted and needs NCSA authorisation.³ Treat footage of identifiable people and signed consent forms as personal data, and agree with your partner where the files live, how they are transferred and who keeps the consent records.

Copy this list into your production plan.

• Define the production type, outputs and number of shooting days.
• List the roles you need, and mark which are local and which you will bring.
• Request showreels, crew names and a kit list from two or three companies.
• Hold a video call with the proposed producer and lead camera operator.
• Confirm which permits and accreditations the shoot needs, and who applies.⁶⁷
• Check that any drone pilot holds an RCAA activity permit.⁵
• Agree the working day, overtime, travel days, per diems and cancellation terms.
• Agree the consent process, languages and safeguarding rules in writing.
• Confirm where footage and consent forms will be stored and how they will be transferred.³
• Agree the delivery format, file naming and backup routine.
• Sign one contract covering crew, kit and transport, with payment dates.
• Share a call sheet at least two days before the first shoot day.

Treat the local crew as colleagues, not as a service. Brief them on the story, not only the shot list. Share the purpose of the film, the audience and the sensitivities. Crews who understand the goal spot moments you would miss.

Hold a short planning meeting each evening. Review the footage, agree the next day's plan and raise problems early. Ask for honest advice on safety, timing and community reactions, and act on it. Plan a short debrief at the end of the shoot.

Credit people properly. List crew names in the end credits and on any published production notes. In our own practice, the strongest productions come from crews who have worked together before, so if a team serves you well, book them again.