FEATURE
Is Kenya World’s Next Film Destination?
BY KEVIN AMARU
F
ilms are meant to evoke emotions and drive us to a beautiful world of imaginations through authentic professional and easily relatable scripts. As Albert Einstein once said ‘Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere’. Making films has been one of the world’s favourite past times for over a century now. The best scripts come from fictionalised history facts; take for example the all-time classic Titanic or the recent ‘Lincoln’. In a country with a rich history and one of the most beautiful landscape in these sides of Africa what is stopping Kenya from being one of the most sought after film destination in the world? Late last year the hard-hitting Kenyan movie, Nairobi Half Life – based on authentically Kenya’s gang culture became the Kenya’s first-ever film to be considered for an Oscar. The movie was considered the most successful film in Kenya if not Africa. Having caused a couple of head spins especially in Nigeria where the Nollywood industry is said to be the third largest in the world. “The thing about Nairobi Half Life is that it depicts what actually happens in the real world (read Kenya.) Besides being thugs, they are just normal people like you and me who have dreams. With –a- tinge -of – carefree- lifestyle. They get mixed into this life because of circumstances,” said Tosh Gitonga in a past interview.
Nairobi Half Life went ahead to be shown at Film Africa 2012, which took place in London having already made history, but sadly not because it was shot exclusively in Nairobi. The cut-niche of gangsta films does not stop there, already in the works is My Life in Crime a movie based largely on the book My Life in Crime by John Kiriamiti estimated to cost a whopping 400 million shillings. The movie has also attracted Nollywood bad-boy actor Jim Iyke. It is quite clear that Kenya has a lot of stories to tell. If not based on our controversial books and plays, which played major roles in shaping the country’s art history in the 1970s and 1980s, it is our rich culture and influence known and featured in films all over the world. Kenya’s beautiful landscape remains a wonder to the world. Producers worldwide have had an affectionate on- again- off -again affair with the Kenyan landscape and its people. Kenya has made several long-term impacts in the film industry with award-winning movies such as ‘Out of Africa’, ‘Born Free’ and the new, highly acclaimed German film, “Nowhere in Africa”, which won Best Foreign Language Film at the 2002 Academy Awards. “Kenya has been attractive to film makers and producers for many reasons,” said Betty Buyu, the
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Chronicle | July 2013