ABOUT
Karen Boswall Givandás is a filmmaker and visual anthropologist.
She lived and worked in Mozambique as a journalist and documentary filmmaker between 1990 and 2007, focusing in particular on issues of conflict-driven migration and internal displacement and post-conflict reconciliation, resettlement and reintegration. Her award-winning films and BBC radio documentaries explore the spiritual, cultural and environmental worlds of individuals, families and communities both during and after the war in Mozambique. Upon returning to the UK in 2007 she taught Visual Anthropology and Film and Television at the University of Kent (2008–2009) and Canterbury Christ Church University (2010–2014). She has an MA in Music in Development (SOAS 2015) and a PhD in Film & Anthropology (University of Sussex 2022). She conducted her PhD research in Mozambique with young film-makers exploring new decolonial and gendered research, production and distribution models in an ongoing project entitled Speak My Sister.
Career
1986-1996
Karen worked as a sound-recordist, composer, musical director and sound designer in London (1986-1990) and in Mozambique (1990-1996) before becoming a correspondent of the BBC World service until 1997 when she began directing her own films.
1997-2006
Her first film in Mozambique was “Living Battles” (Promarte 52 mins 1998,) filmed soon after the end of the 16 year Civil War, and then “From the Ashes” (Cinelandia 26 mins, 1999). Both films followed the theme of post conflict resolution and the psychology of War and Peace.
In 2000 Karen established her own production company, Catembe Producoes Lda and produced and directed a number of films including “Dancing on the Edge” (46m ARTE/ZDF/YLE/ABC Steps for the Future) and “Marrabentando: The Stories My Guitar Sings”, (52m RTP) She also encouraged young talents in Mozambique producing the films of others including “True Friends” (4x5m Steps for the Future), “Marrabentando in Gaza” (2 x12m) “A Dugong’s Tale” (12m) and “Em Perigo” (52m & 3 x 26m).
2007 - 2015
In 2007 Karen retuned to the UK and has since been combining academic study, audio-visual research, film-making, teaching and playing music. She has been devising collaborative methodologies for non-fiction film-production and story-telling in the decolonial digital age. Her Masters research (2013-2015) focused on the stories of Syrian women and children living as refugees in Jordan.
2016 - 2020
Karen began her doctoral research (2016) and has focused on the creative voice of women and girls in Mozambique. Working collaboratively with young Mozambicans in the north and south of the country, she has produced films by young Mozambicans including ongoing research films on women’s song in Niassa and a completed series of musical portraits Speak My Sister which forms the basis of the for the PhD submission.
In the development of these methodologies, she has run intensive film courses in Nepal, Brazil, Mozambique and in the UK.