Jacques Murigande, widely known as Mighty Popo, a celebrated musician and director of the Rwanda School of Music, premiered his groundbreaking film “Killer Music, Chapter 1: Blood Bird, The Saga”, marking a new era in Rwandan cinema.
The private red-carpet premiere, organized by Sakara Production under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Arts of Rwanda, took place at Century Cinema in Kigali on Sunday, September 14, 2025.
The exclusive event featured arrivals at 3:00 PM, a screening at 4:00 PM, and a cocktail reception at 6:00 PM, and brought together dozens of high-profile officials, cultural leaders, and members of the film industry.
Billed as Rwanda’s first feature film presented in 5.1 Surround Sound, Killer Music marked a bold leap in both storytelling and technical production for the country’s creative sector.
Written by Mighty Popo and directed by Anirban Mitra, the film featured a cast including Simon Kalema, Felicity Mandela, Pelly Nampanga, Nodryn Evanchi Kabuye, Elvis Mutebi Andrew, Ramadhan Arinaitwe, Patrick Mugisha, Serah Wanjiru, Lucarelli Onyango, and Doryn Nabbanja.
The film stunned audiences with its epic imagery, killer costume designs, striking make-up artistry, and world-class lighting techniques.
From carefully choreographed concert scenes to intimate character portrayals, Killer Music blended aesthetic brilliance with raw storytelling power.
Its sound effects and surround sound mix were widely praised as global class, setting a new benchmark for technical excellence in East African cinema.
The story followed the journey of musicians navigating the highs and lows of the entertainment industry—from the first dream of entering music to the glamour of fame and the struggles of sustaining a career amid intense live performances and nightlife.
Mighty Popo revealed that he had invested more than Rwf 250 million of his own funds to bring the project to life, making it one of the most ambitious self-funded film projects in Rwanda’s history.
He expressed hope that the success of the premiere would attract investors and sponsors for the next episodes in the saga.
“This is not just a film, it’s a statement. Rwanda has the talent, the stories, and the technical ability to produce films that stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world,” Mighty Popo said at the premiere.
The event was hailed as a massive success, with attendees praising both the artistic depth and the technical quality of the production.
For many, Killer Music represented not only a personal triumph for Mighty Popo but also a milestone in Rwanda’s cultural journey—where cinema, music, fashion, and technology merged to tell powerful African stories.
