Category Archives: Feature Films

Watch ’12 Years A Slave’ And Other Films For FREE (Fans In Kenya)

by

paa ya paa

Paa Ya Paa Arts Centre are holding a films and media exhibition as part of Black History Month. The arts centre is a place for inspiration and development for indigenous artists and art lovers. Their programs include visual arts, music, dance, theatre and photography. Paa Ya Paa describe their name origin as,

a compound Swahili name which literally means “The Antelope Rising”. In Swahili “paa” means “rise” and also means an “antelope”. In the 1960s the antelope had become a regular subject for the curio wood carvers designed to attract tourists in East Africa. Symbolically, therefore, Paa Ya Paa is a spiritual calling in the hope that the simple artistic expressions will rise in to a new realm of open-minded creative adventures, adventures that will give new scope for free creative self-expressions of the artist as well as the ethics and aesthetics that make the pursuit of excellence in the creative arts a worthwhile discipline.

There will be a mixed media exhibit that can be viewed before the start of the films and there are moderated discussions after the screenings. All screenings are FREE and will take place at Paa Ya Paa Arts Centre in Ridgeways. The schedule is as follows:

TYAS

12 Years A Slave, Saturday February 8th 2014, 16:00

This is a historical drama film 12 Years A Slave directed by British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen. It is also notable for being Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o‘s first film role for which she has been nominated and won a host of awards. The story is based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a Black man (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and talented musician who was born free in New York state, kidnapped in Washington D.C., then sold into slavery and kept in bondage for 12 years.

mandela

 

 

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Saturday February 15th 2014, 16:00

Based on South African President Nelson Mandela‘s autobiography of the same name, which chronicles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society. The film stars Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris as Winnie Madikizela–Mandela.

 

the-butler-poster02

 

The Butler, Saturday February 22nd 2014, 16:00

Loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen, the film stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, an African-American who eyewitnesses notable events of the 20th century during his 34-year tenure serving as a White House butler, and Oprah Winfrey plays his wife Gloria Gaines.

Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America, Saturday March 1st 2014, 16:00

Maafa 21 is a film that argues the modern-day prevalence of abortion among African Americans is rooted in an attempted genocide or maafa of black people. It alleges that the eugenics movement that targeted African Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries formed the basis for the creation of the American Birth Control League (now Planned Parenthood) by Margaret Sanger and the abortion-rights movement of the 20th and 21st centuries. Maafa is derived from a Swahili term for “disaster” or “great tragedy”. View the trailer here:

Paa Ya Paa Arts Centre
Paa Ya Paa Lane, Ridgeways Road (Off) Kiambu Road
P.O.Box 49646-00100 NAIROBI, Kenya
E-mail: info@paayapaa.com
Tel. +254 (0)20 851 2257 Cel. +254- 733 270 109

The Donkey That Carried The Cloud On Its Back

by
208645_108962689295876_1858655311_n

© Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann

Director: Philippa Ndisi-Hermann
Producer: Atieno Odenyo
Category: Documentary
Language: English
Crowdfunding period: 12th of November – 22th of December

The International Documentary Film Festival and CineCrowd present a special crowdfunding campaign from Kenya: The Donkey that Carried the Cloud on its Back. The film, by Philippa Ndisi Hermann and Atieno Odenyo also received financial support from the IDFA Bertha Fund and participated in the IDFA WorldView Summer School last July.

This documentary feature film is about the Kenyan island, Lamu, which is an island frozen in time. Now, Africa’s largest port is being constructed there. It was once a rich trading town and the East African coast gave rise to a new culture and a new people – the Swahili. Lamu town survived and has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

The port foundation stone was laid last year. At a cost of 3.5 billion USD, the port will be capable of handling ships almost half the size of the island of up to 100,000 tonnes. Lamu Island has one car and more than 3000 donkeys. Electricity is provided by generators and there is no modern water sewage system. Marginalised economically by mainland Kenya. Lamu relies on tourism where backpackers rub shoulders with the Princess of Monaco.

foreboding change

The use of still photos in the documentary is so as to evoke the possibility of foreboding change. © Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann

1398496_173953989463412_723311330_o

A baptism at the shore of the Indian Ocean. Lamu island is predominantly Muslim. The Baptists came from a town 1000 km away. Aug 2013
© Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann

The advent of the port is giving rise to land speculations, to environmental concerns, to the influx of people, change is coming, change is needed. Is this what the port will bring?

Continue reading →

Watch Jean Pierre Bekolo’s ‘Le President’ for FREE

by

1385101_541504042586480_1252533852_n

View this seminal film by Jean-Pierre Bekolo that was banned in Cameroon and South Africa for free until October 19th over at Buni Tv.

When the Cameroonian president disappears just a few days before the elections after 42 years in power, the country’s media go into overdrive, speculating on what happened. Meanwhile, the president’s kidnappers, who remain unnamed, are taking him on a tour of the country, forcing him to interact with the people that he has so wistfully ignored all this years.

The president is forced to answer for what he has done – which is not much. A controversial “mockumentary” that mixes fiction and reality, THE PRESIDENT questions the phenomenon of Africa’s “president-for-life” and the threat that the incertitude over their succession poses to their countries’ stability.

FilmAid Film Festival 2013

by

1009822_10151748755604446_1307497054_n filmaid

FilmAid  proudly invites you to experience stories of courage, strife and human determination, as told by refugee filmmakers at the 7th edition of the FilmAid Film Festival – from 21-23rd August 2013 at Alliance Française in Nairobi.

The festival will showcase award-winning films and documentaries from refugee filmmakers studying through FilmAid’s Filmmaker Training Program. The program allows refugee filmmakers to tell their own stories of courage, hope, despair and resilience in their own voices. The selected films provide a rare opportunity for the filmmakers to share the stories of refugees who have been forced to flee their homes to escape persecution, wars, or conflict. Alongside these films, there will be a selection of international feature films complementing the work of the refugee filmmakers.

1003498_10151752974174446_1346833063_n

This year, the festival will present 20 short and feature films from students and foreign filmmakers. Alongside the screenings at the Alliance Française in Nairobi, the festival will also feature an award ceremony schedule to recognize the best student films, and multiple discussion panels with representatives from UNHCR, human rights groups, civil society, the film industry, government, academia and the media.

Among the films premiering at the festival, Finding Hillywood – a documentary based on the 1994 Rwanda genocide and directed by Leah Warshawski – explores how the power of film can change and heal not just individuals but entire communities. Others premiering films include, Painful Tears, Ayong, The Edge, The Good and The Bad, Shattered and Restored among others.

Find out more about the programme of the festival after the jump.

Continue reading →

Support the 2013 Slum Film Festival

by

Capture

After two successful years, the Slum Film Festival is preparing its third edition, expanding its focus to slum stories from across the African continent. The third edition of the Festival will be celebrated in Nairobi on September 2 –  9 2013, on open grounds at both Kibera and Mathare (Nairobi’s biggest slums), as well as central cultural venues around the city.

Although their crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo  is now closed, You can still help by spreading the word about this great initiative.

Continue reading →

Kenyan Films at Durban International Film Festival 18 – 28 July 2013

by

965334_561034990615330_1090428248_o

Be sure to catch the 2013 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in South Africa. With principal funding by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, the festival returns for its 34th year to celebrate the beauty and diversity of global cinema. From 18 to 28 July, Durban will be illuminated by the glow of the silver screen, with over 250 screenings in 11 venues across the city. Alongside this smorgasbord of the best of contemporary cinema from around, comprising 72 feature films, 48 documentaries and 45 short films, the festival offers a comprehensive workshop and seminar programme that facilitates the sharing of knowledge and skills by film industry experts.

Running in parallel to the general Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban offers three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station which will focus on documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism and Script Station which will foster story development. Although her films are not screening this year, Kenyan artist and filmmaker Ng’endo Mukii (Yellow Fever) is one of the candidates that was specially selected for this year’s Talent Campus.

The Kenyan films showing at the festival are:

Something Necessary (feature film)

524636_244468872351622_86902888_n

312432_356491227783262_252105878_n

Director: Judy Kibinge
Language: Swahili with English subtitles
Run Time: 85min
Germany, Kenya, 2013

Directed by Kenyan filmmaker Judy Kibinge and produced by German filmmaker Tom Tykwer, Something Necessary is the latest film from One Fine Day Films. The film chronicles an intimate moment in the lives of two people from very different sides of history. Anne is struggling to rebuild her life in the wake of the violence which swept through Kenya after the 2007 elections. Joseph, a troubled gang member who participated in the violence, is drawn to Anne, seemingly in search of redemption. Both of them need something that only the other can give in order to move beyond the painful memories of their pasts. For details of the screenings at DIFF, follow this link.

To learn more about the film, read Ciné Kenya‘s feature on it here.

Ni Sisi (feature film)

843761_147106412115805_1260342156_o

823460_143655139127599_1100690957_o

Director: Nick Reding
Language: Swahili with English subtitles
Run Time: 92min
Kenya, 2013

It’s Us (Ni Sisi) portrays a typical Kenyan community consisting of a harmonious muddle of tribes, intermarriages, and extended families. Then one day rumours begin to spread, mistrust suddenly takes hold and people are identified as belonging to a different tribe. Caught in this ripple effect, old friends begin to turn on each other and in a matter of days, the bonds and alliances that are the foundation of the community are severed. Despite its joyous vibrancy, It›s Us is a film that deals with vitally important issues, both in Kenya, still recovering from the violence of 2008, and beyond. For details of the screenings at DIFF, follow this link.

To learn more about the film, read Ciné Kenya‘s feature on it here.

Continue reading →

‘Half Of A Yellow Sun’ Trailer Finally Here

by

A new picture of the adaptation of Half of a Yellow Sun

‘Half Of A Yellow Sun’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was adapted into a screenplay by playwright Biyi Bandele. This is his feature film directorial debut, with a cast that includes Thandie Newton, John Boyega, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dominic Cooper, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle and Genevieve Nnaji.

Adichie is also the author of ‘Purple Hibiscus’, ‘Americanah’ and ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’.

View the wonderful trailer below:

 

MoCADA | The Journey Home

by

Journeyhome_kenya_savedate_print_front

The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) cordially invites you to be part of The Journey Home 2nd Edition, a cultural journey to Kenya. Featuring special musical performances, intimate film screenings, art exhibitions, and exciting cultural events, it will be a unique opportunity to experience the art, culture, and beauty of Kenya, East Africa.

The Journey Home will take place from Friday, August 30th, 2013 through Sunday, September 8th, 2013.

Price includes airfare from NYC, lodging, entertainment, and 2 meals per day. The cost of the trip does not include passport fees, visa, vaccinations, travel insurance, or excess luggage. Learn more about the application and the trip here.

Oya: Rise of the Orisha

by

oya2

Oya: Rise of the Orishas, takes a pantheon of ancient West African deities, known as Orisha, and resurrects them as modern day superheroes in a new action packed film. We focus on a young woman named Adesuwa who has the unique ability to transform into the fearsome warrior goddess, Oya, the Orisha of change. When she does, she gains amazing powers.

Oya: Rise of the Orishas is London-based writer and director Nosa Igbinedion‘s unique resurrection of mythical deities from African folklore, into modern day superheroes in Britain. Get involved in getting this incredible and unique project off the ground here.

Continue reading →

Update: Amirah Tajdin’s Future Work

by
Film still from 'Walls of Leila'

Film still from ‘Walls of Leila’

Film still from ‘Walls of Leila’

Film still from 'Downtown Tribes'.

Film still from ‘Downtown Tribes’.

First up, is Walls of Leila which is a love story set in Cape Town South Africa that chronicles the life of Leila, a young Cape Malay girl who falls in love with an American boy, Derek. Kenyan filmmaker Amirah Tajdin and her producer sister Wafa Tajdin are currently working on this film which will be their first feature.

They ran a very successful kickstarter campaign last year to raise development funding for phase one of the project. Ciné Kenya received an update from Tajdin that the team have just begun the production financing phase as the second draft of the script has been completed.

Continue reading →