John K-ay

John K-ay/dʒɒn/ (born 3 July 1992 as Jean-Marie Ndayishimiye in Burundi) is a Burundian-Australian film director, producer and actor. He is best known for his educative films Nothing is Impossible (2012), Restoring Hope (2015), Silent Sufferers (2015), and Irreversible Choices (2016). In 2015, his music video,"I Love You Mum" was aired on television and went viral on social media.[1][2] He received an award for best influential African Australian 2016, a Best Director and Producer at the AAMMA Awards in 2016, and a Cineplay TV awards in New York in 2017. He is currently working on Cop's Enemy with Ghanaian actor Van Vicker, due to be released in January 2018.[3]

John K-ay
K-ay at the premiere of Irreversible Choices (2016)
Born3 July 1992
OccupationDirector, Producer, Actor
Years active2010- Present
Websitehttp://johnkayfilms.com

Early life

John K-ay was born 3 July 1992 as Jean-Marie Ndaysihimiye to farmer Stephanie Hakizimana and teacher Elize Gahungu, as one of nine children. The family fled to Tanzania in late 1993 after the assassination of Melchior Ndadaye, which would go on to cause the Burundian Civil War, settling in a UNHCR refugee camp where they remained for eleven years.[4] The family applied for refugee status in Australia in 2006 and arrived in Sydney in March 2007, before settling in Perth, where he finished high school in 2010.[5] During high school he was a founding member of prominent artistic group Tao Boiz Crew.[6]

Career
K-ay (seated) with Prema Smith and Van Vicker on the set of Cop's Enemy.

K-ay began his career in filmmaking and music in 2010, releasing his directorial film debut Last Tears for a Lost Destination (2011), before releasing Nothing Is Impossible (2012), both of which are heavily influenced by his experiences as a migrant, particularly the latter which details the peculiarities noticed by migrants in Australia.[4] K-ay returned to Sydney to further his career in 2015, attending NIDA and releasing his debut single I Love You Mum,[7] along with two short films Restoring Hope and Silent Sufferers.[8] The next year, in conjunction with irokotv, K-ay released Irreversible Choices, for which he won nominations for Best Director and Producer at the AAMMA awards in 2016 and at the Cineplay TV awards in 2017. He is currently working on feature film Cop's Enemy with Van Vicker and Prema Smith, due to be premiered in December 2016.[3]

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References
  1. "John K-ay paving the way for African-Australian entertainers". SBS Your Language.
  2. "Illawarra Mercury". Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. Yerma, Jean-Pierre (21 July 2017). "We go on set for JP's new action thriller".
  4. Fahy, Patrick (9 March 2016). "Nothing is impossible for young film maker". Blacktown Sun. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  5. "Blacktown filmmaker John K-ay seeks to tell migrant success stories". MECA. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  6. "TAO BOIZ CREW". taoboizcrew.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  7. "John K-ay - Official Music Videos, Songs, and More - Vevo". VEVO. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  8. "Film Premiere". MECA. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
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