Working with a fixer in Rwanda: what they do and how to choose

A fixer is the local professional who makes a visiting production possible. Writing for the Global Investigative Journalism Network, John Chukwu describes fixers as people who arrange interviews, secure access, translate, guide and often protect journalists.¹ For a documentary crew, an NGO film team or a broadcaster coming to Rwanda, that can mean anything from finding the right farmer cooperative to explaining your project to a sector officer before the camera comes out.

The titles vary. A film fixer usually works on access, contacts and on-the-day problem solving. A local producer in Rwanda takes wider responsibility for schedule, crew, locations and paperwork. A production coordinator manages logistics: vehicles, accommodation, equipment and call sheets. On small shoots one person may do all three. On larger ones they are separate roles, and it helps to know which you are hiring.

A good fixer starts with the paperwork. Rwanda's shooting permit for documentaries and fiction films is issued by the Ministry of Youth through the IremboGov platform, and is open to both Rwandan and foreign production companies and individuals.² The stated processing time is four days.² The same page notes that the permit does not exempt a crew from formalities requested by local authorities on site.² That is where local knowledge matters: a fixer knows which district, sector or institution to inform, and how far in advance.

Journalists working for foreign media have an additional step. Media accreditation for foreign media is provided by the Rwanda Media Commission, with a stated processing time of three days, and applicants are asked for a passport-style photograph, a copy of a press or service card and a cover letter from their media house.³

If aerial shots are planned, start even earlier. The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority requires drones to be registered, remote pilots to hold a Rwandan UAS pilot certificate, and operators to hold an activity permit, and asks visitors to declare drones to Rwanda National Police at the point of entry.⁴ A fixer who has handled drone shoots before will know how to sequence these steps.

Many interviews in Rwanda take place in Kinyarwanda, so your fixer often doubles as interpreter. Bond's ethical content guidelines say that if an interviewer does not speak the contributor's language, an interpreter must be arranged, and that interpretation must be honest and accurate.⁵ The same guidance warns that interpreters should not probe for the information they think production teams want to hear, and that poor interpretation risks misrepresentation.⁵

Consent depends on language too. Bond says the consent dialogue should be carried out in the contributor's own language, and that consent forms should be translated into it.⁵ Ask your fixer to prepare Kinyarwanda versions of your consent forms before the shoot, and to explain clearly who you are, what the footage is for and who will see it. Bond also notes that people asked to feature in NGO communications are likely to feel obliged to take part.⁵ A fixer who is respected locally needs to make it easy for people to say no.

Fixers are often found through recommendations from other crews, newsrooms or organisations that have filmed in the country. Whoever you approach, judge them on what they will actually do for your production rather than on a long list of famous credits. In our own practice, the most useful early conversation is a frank one about the story, the locations and the people you hope to film.

Questions worth asking:

• Which productions have you supported in the last two years, and can we speak to one of them?
• Which regions and sectors do you know well: health, agriculture, education, conservation?
• How do you handle the shooting permit, accreditation and local authority introductions?
• Which languages do you interpret, and have you interpreted on camera before?
• Have you worked on stories involving children or vulnerable people, and how did you manage consent?
• Who else is in your network: drivers, sound recordists, camera operators, drone pilots?
• What would you tell us if you thought part of our plan was unrealistic or unsafe?

The Global Reporting Centre, which developed recommendations for working with local journalists and fixers together with fixers themselves, says all aspects of the work should be set out in a contract, and that changes in scope or length of production must be added to it.⁶ It recommends agreeing payment before pre-production, with the method, currency and payment schedule fixed in advance, and paying on time.⁶ It also suggests naming one point person on the commissioning side to communicate with the fixer.⁶

Plan for the end of the work as well as the start. In the GIJN article, one journalist argues that there should be an exit plan for the fixer, agreed beforehand.¹ A simple written scope of work prevents most misunderstandings.

A fixer is part of the team, not a service around it. The Global Reporting Centre says local journalists should have the same level of comfort and safety as all other members of the field team, that any risks should be made clear to them, and that they should be covered by relevant insurance policies whenever possible.⁶ Share your risk assessment with your fixer and ask for theirs.

Credit matters too. The same recommendations say local journalists should be publicly credited, that the crediting language should be agreed in the contract at the outset, and that they should be able to choose how they are identified.⁶ If a fixer makes a significant editorial contribution, the Global Reporting Centre recommends saying so at the start and giving them the opportunity to review the work before publication.⁶

Brief your fixer as you would brief a colleague. Share the treatment, the shot list, the names of anyone you have already contacted and the deadlines that matter to you. Bond's guidance asks that staff closest to contributors are supported to inform story production and feel able to say no to requests.⁵ Treat your fixer's local advice in the same way: when they say a location, question or timing will not work, listen.

After the shoot, send your fixer the finished film or article, and tell them how it was used. In our experience, the best productions in Rwanda come from relationships that last beyond a single trip, built on clear agreements, fair treatment and shared respect for the people on screen.

• Decide whether you need a fixer, a local producer or a production coordinator
• Speak to at least one recent production your fixer has supported
• Shooting permit applied for and media accreditation arranged if needed
• Drone registration, pilot certificate and activity permit confirmed
• Consent forms translated into Kinyarwanda
• Contract covering scope, payment schedule, insurance, credit and exit plan
• Risk assessment shared with the fixer
• Finished work sent to the fixer after publication