A Divine Journey

A Divine Journey profiles a Rwandan refugee, Divine Mugisha, striving to overcome the hardships of living at a refugee camp all her life. The story follows her heroic journey as she sets out to study psychology in the United States to treat depression and prevent suicides in her refugee community in Malawi.

Divine grew up in extreme poverty, facing hunger and mental health challenges. Despite her struggles, she dedicates her life to creating change for over 50,000 people living at the camp. As a young advocate, she starts Supportive Pillar, a CBO dedicated to helping youth stay in school. On a mission to address mental health in her community, Divine recognizes she must now leave home to pursue her own education so she can better address mental health issues at the camp.

  • Annette M. King
    Director
  • Ivanovitch Ingabire
    Director
  • Annette M. King
    Writer
  • Oliver Brown
    Writer
  • Sujin Jung
    Writer
  • Aya Troyer
    Writer
  • Dylan Guss
    Writer
  • Annette M. King
    Producer
  • Divine Mugisha
    Key Cast
  • Annette M. King
    Executive Producers
  • Tom King
    Executive Producers
  • Trevor Delello
    Associate Producer
  • Ivanovitch Ingabire
    Cinematographers
  • Juan Reina
    Cinematographers
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 22, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Kenya, Malawi
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Annette M. King, Ivanovitch Ingabire

Co-Director Bio - Ivanovitch Ingabire (Burundi)
Ivanovitch Ingabire is a Burundian photographer and videographer volunteering at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi. He is self-taught and has worked for over 10 years in multiple countries filming documentaries and other artistic endeavors. He co-directed Fear Not and A Divine Journey documentary shorts.
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Co-Director Bio - Annette M. King (USA)
Annette King is a Producer and Director. She founded Splicer Films with the intention of telling impactful stories that inspire and spark meaningful change in the world. Annette has 20 years of professional experience as an entrepreneur and in business development. She is a Latina Producer focusing on untold stories of real heroes leading social causes to improve the welfare of marginalized communities. Annette is a member of the Global Impact Producer’s Alliance (GIPA), Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA) , Women in Film and Video (WIFV), and Brown Girl Doc Mafia (BGDM).

She is Producer and Director of Finding Ubuntu, Fear Not, and A Divine Journey documentary shorts.

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Director Statement

Ivanovitch Ingabire (Co- Director, Burundi)
As a Burundian photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller, I was honored to capture the remarkable story of Divine Mugisha in Malawi. In every story I tell, I want to genuinely represent aspects of each subject in my documentary projects. My camera is my third eye and hand, so I always look for the best angles, best light, and best natural moments in people so I can artistically represent stories. “A Divine Journey” tells the story of a young leader and African hero, who works tirelessly to provide youth education access and aspires to become a psychologist to help her displaced community affected by trauma.
Filming Divine as she serves her community at Dzaleka refugee camp was an honor. It was especially emotional as I have followed her journey since she was a young student and blossomed to become a founder of the Supportive Pillar Organisation to help communities in need.
- Ivanovitch Ingabire, Director and Cinematographer
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Annette King (Co-Director, USA)
As a filmmaker and Director, I aim to explore people and their personal accounts to tell authentic and captivating stories. My mission is to spotlight underrepresented heroes and tell stories inspiring audiences to effect and catalyze positive change in the world.
“A Divine Journey” is intended to inform audiences of pressing social issues and how one person’s activism can change the world for many. My goal is to spark meaningful conversations and evoke empathy through the lens of the protagonist, Divine Mugisha, advocating for her community, while also challenging stereotypes of how heroes are portrayed in film. As a Latina Producer and Director, my responsibility is to share stories of underrepresented leaders and shift mainstream media’s traditional definition of a hero. Divine Mugisha’s story is one of resilience, compassion and determination that can teach us all how to be global citizens and social advocates.
I am proud to have represented Divine’s inspiring journey as she advocates for others in her community in Malawi and her new community in Kenya. My hope is that by spotlighting uplifting stories of the human experience, audiences will feel empowered and inspired to solve social issues and make a difference in their own communities.
- Annette M. King, Director, Producer, Writer