FEATURE
Nairobi Half life: HOW WE STOLE THE SHOW
T
BY KEVIN AMARU
dome . Kalasha Awards was here. And on the film nomination was a number of notable movies and films which had been on every other Kenyan movie for the better part of the year. On one end were Tosh Gitonga, the Director of Nairobi Half Life and his crew. With screening across the country’s major cinema halls, Nairobi Half Life was the talk of town as the all time successful Kenyan film four weeks after its premiere. The Action-Drama film revolved around the character Mwas-a young budding actor who never keeps his mouth shut but full of charisma and potential in his otherwise brilliant, verbose but yet ‘convincing’ conversations. His ambitions sends him to Nairobi- the mystified but yet full of hope ‘Big City’ far away from his ‘slow’ home village. The whole direction of the movie is clear from the beginning as Mwas encounters fraudsters, broken promises and the harsh realities of Nairobi as soon as he alights from the country bus station.
he weather was rather chilly in Nairobi that evening at KICC. But that was not the only thing causing disquiet among the film producers and scriptwriters sitting in the huge
Dominic) whose traumatic childhood in a seemingly ideal middle class family becomes a precursor to a life of turmoil, depression, and self destructive behaviour. But in the end it was up to the panel of judges to decide who the best was. The award winner for best Cinematography went to Nairobi Half Life. Joseph Wairimu of Nairobi Half Life snatched the Best Actor award for the night. The rather shy in person actor gave a thumb up for the crew and producers of the film ‘without whom he may not have been receiving this award’. For the best supporting actor, the surprise came as David Ng’ang’a Ndugi of Torn Veil film was declared the winner. Nairobi Half life tribulations did not end there, the film went ahead to win the Best Director Award which went to Tosh Gitonga and Best original script.
With all the valuables gone and no money left, he finds himself arrested after a mistaken-identity situation involving hawkers. Real name Joseph Wairimu, Mwas was up for nomination for Best Actor, his coactor Olwenya Maina, was nominated for best supporting actor. The movie faced stiff competition from rivals of yet another Kenyan prolific movie of the year, Shattered. From Shattered, Best Actress nominee was celebrated Nigerian actress Rita Dominic while Best Supporting Actor was Allan Adika and Best Supporting Actress was the beauty Mumbi Maina. Written and produced by Carol Nguta, Shattered tells the story of a woman, Keziah Njema (played by Rita
Joseph Wairimu
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Chronicle | July 2013