It’s not every day a GP in Echuca is recognised internationally for their work in the film industry. Rather than there being a disconnect between her two jobs, Dr Chido Mwat (Wyvern 2016) finds her skills in general practice in country Victoria enhance her ability to relate to her worldwide audience.

“My day job connects with what I do because a lot of it is talking to people, and much of being a producer is people management, relationship building, and networking. I know how to talk with people, build rapport, and get a message across.”

Nominated, in 2024, for Best Director, and Best Sketch Comedy at LA Webfest, Best Micro Series at Rio Webfest, and Outstanding Sketch Comedy at the New Jersey Webfest, Chido is making her mark on the international film scene.

“I was happy they acknowledged me with the nominations. I have found a medium where I think I can excel because it fits my lifestyle, fills my creative bucket, and it’s very exciting. General practice is also good because once you finish training it allows for flexibility in your day, you can in a sense build your own career, choose what interests you. I am a person who gets bored easily, that’s why I’m doing so much.”

Chido came to Queen’s, wanting to live on campus while studying medicine at Melbourne University.

“I was surprised by how much there was on offer at College, I was expecting the proximity to uni, but I wasn’t expecting all the clubs and the MCR. It was definitely helpful especially in first and second year because we had a lot of extra support through the tutoring programme. I was able to receive guidance with my study because it was quite a heavy load. I am from Zimbabwe which is a more collectivist culture so the expectation is that you study law or engineering or medicine. I have been out for five years and I do a lot of preventative campaigns on health awareness. When I compare life at home in Harare, and life in country Australia, there is a greater sense of community here, and I really like that.”

Chido began pursuing her passion for stand-up comedy in high school, this grew into film making, and now animation has piqued her interest. Again, her medical pursuits have been useful.

“What I’ve learned from medicine that’s helped me move into the animation medium is that as a GP, you can’t possibly know everything, sometimes it’s more important to learn how to know something than knowing the thing straight off the bat. Learning animation is like that, I start from a point where I can look things up and then I start understanding so I can do things. You have to learn how to ask questions to achieve something.”

Chido wants her story telling to take her 18-35-year-old audience to a different world. 

“Before, I really wanted to make comedy but lately I’ve shifted to sharing authentic experiences, delving into people’s lives more and getting that true connection. It’s for people who feel a bit unseen, quirky. Because I’ve always felt a bit quirky. Before it was about making communities and educating but it’s also important to give people the experience of being in a different world. There’s that sense when you watch animation that you feel different after, I’m going after that emotional feeling, supporting people to feel something different.”

Enjoy Chido’s work on her website:

https://www.chidomwat.com/ 

Or contact her at:

chidomwat@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.