Chipo Zhou

A Black woman with blonde braided hair is facing the camera smiling with her teeth showing. She is wearing a patterned blouse and a pair of glasses hangs from the collar. The photo is black and white and the background features two circles, one which is light blue and the other dark blue.

Founder and CEO, Opihc

Zimbabwe

Chipo Zhou is the founder and CEO of Opihc, a communications strategy company based in South Africa. She is an entrepreneur and film festival curator with over 15 years of experience in the arts industry. Chipo is motivated by her need for an open-minded, equitable, and inclusive society. As a result, she advocated for the transformation of the film industry in Zimbabwe early in her career at the International Images Film Festival for Women, and more recently in South Africa through her work at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). She delivered five consecutive iterations of the DIFF and increased African and LGBTQ+ representation from 20 percent to more than 50 percent during that time. Over the years, she has created various platforms to develop local South African films by providing support for zero-budget filmmakers. She owns Mupfuti Garden’s Restaurant and Outdoor Venue, which she now uses for arts-related events and initiatives in Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe.

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