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Quick Facts
Biography
Hopewell Rugoho-Chin'ono is a Zimbabwean journalist. He has won numerous awards in journalism and has worked in both print and broadcasting journalism.
History
Hopewell Rugoho-Chin'ono is an acclaimed award winning Documentary Film Maker and is an ITV News Africa Field Producer and The New York Times ZIMBABWE foreign correspondent. Hopewell trained as a journalist at the Zimbabwean Institute of Mass Communications before going to City University's Journalism school in London, England. He obtained a Master of Arts degree in International Journalism and then worked with the BBC World Service as a freelance producer.
In 2003 he returned to his native Zimbabwe to work for the BBC as a freelance correspondent.
He won a British Government Chevening scholarship to read film at Brunel University, where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Documentary Practice in 2007.
He returned to Zimbabwe in 2007 and made a multi-award-winning documentary film called Pain in my Heart.
Pain in my Heart won the 2008 CNN African Journalist of the year award, 2008 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Award and the Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting in Africa. After making Pain in my Heart he set up Television International in Zimbabwe, a production house that produced news for ITN and South Africa's e.tv. He has also worked with CNN International as a field producer.
In 2008 he went to the University of Oxford Saïd Business School and was awarded a Fellowship in Leadership. Hopewell is a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, the third Zimbabwean journalist of only three Zimbabwean journalists to win the prestigious Fellowship after the late Mark Chavunduka and Geoff Nyarota. In 2009 he was the winner of the US Aid Communication award in Zimbabwe for his HIV and Aids Reporting. In 2010 he was nominated for a Rory Peck television award for his documentary film A Violent Response. A Violent Response was also nominated for a 2010 BANFF World Television Award in Canada
Hopewell Rugoho-Chin'ono is currently a television producer for UK's ITV News, which is part of the Independent Television News Group and the Zimbabwe Foreign Correspondent for The New York Times.
He worked as South Africa's eNCA foreign correspondent and producer in Zimbabwe from February 2008 to April 2014. He is a multi-skilled television journalist who does Correspondence, Producing, Camera and Editing work.
Professional awards
Documentary films
2013
Fearless: Beatrice Mtetwa & the Rule of Law. Co-produced with Lorie Conway. The documentary film looks at the life and works of Beatrice Mtetwa, Zimbabwe’s celebrated award-winning human rights lawyer. It tells the story of the Rule of Law in Zimbabwe through the narratives of Beatrice’s clients from journalists, human rights activist, opposition politician and gender activists. Aired on CNBC and Channel 4 The 2014 One Media Awards nomination in documentary section
2010
A Violent Response The documentary film looks at Zimbabwe’s post-election violence. See: http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/inthenewsitem.aspx?id=100200 Hopewell Rugoho-Chin’ono worked on the production as the Documentary Film Director, Executive producer and Director of photography.
The film won:
- The 2010 BANNF nomination in Canada
- The 2010 Rory Peck Award nomination for feature in London
2008
Last White Man, co-produced with Greek National Television. The film looks at the White Zimbabwean farmers and the Land Reform process. It is the image of Africa’s ex-granary that became synonymous with poverty, inflation, corruption. It also looks at the historical aspects of the Land issue in Zimbabwe. Hopewell Rugoho-Chin’ono worked on the production as a Co-producer, Director of photography and Co-director.
2008
Inside Zimbabwe: Y Byd ar Bedwar, co-produced with ITV Wales, UK. A look at the starvation and levels of political intolerance taking place in Zimbabwe caused by bad governance and exacerbated by hyper inflation. This film was shot undercover for ITV Wales. Hopewell Rugoho-Chin’ono worked on the production as a Co-producer, Director of photography and Co-director.
2007
Pain in my Heart. A heart-breaking story of the HIV and Aids situation in Zimbabwe. It traces 2 HIV infected Zimbabweans, one is on life saving Anti-Retroviral medication courtesy of a local church, the other is a single mother of 2 who fails to get medication and as a result dies leaving 2 orphans. The film is a metaphor of the political situation in Zimbabwe. Hopewell Rugoho-Chin’ono worked on the production as the Documentary Film Director, Executive Producer and Co-director of photography. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/07/21/africa.awards/index.html
The film won:
- The 2008 African Journalist of the year award
- The 2008 Henry Kaiser Foundation award for HIV & Aids Reporting in Africa
- The 2008 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership award
- The 2009 USAID Communication Award
Academic qualifications
2007
Master of Arts Degree in Documentary Practice Brunel University, London, United Kingdom. http://www.brunel.ac.uk/arts/filmtv/students/hopewell-chinono
2000
Master of Arts Degree in International Journalism City University, London, United Kingdom.
1993
Higher National Diploma in Mass Communications Zimbabwe Institute of Mass Communications, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Scholarship Awards
2009
Robert Waldo Ruhl Scholarship Fund for Journalism to study at Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow in Cambridge, USA.
2006
Chevening British Government Scholarship to study Documentary Film Making at Brunel University in London, England.
Academic fellowships
2010
Nieman Global Health Journalism Fellowship Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
2008
Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellowship for Young African Leaders Said Business School, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Professional Fellowships
- CNN Journalism Fellowship