A Twelve Item Bucket List-See A Kenyan Movie On Big Screen.

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This year I hope to create a lot of memories,laugh more and generally do what more of what makes me happy, to help with this I made a list of fun things to do,twelve things,one for each month. I must say I have to do better if I am to get everything crossed off by the end of the year Insha aa Allah.Things in this list are easy to do and are all things I will be doing for the first time so yaaaay to the many firsts.

Part of the Watu Wote cast and crew during the Q and A session at the film festival.

I had hoped to see Watu Wote when it was showing earlier in the year but somehow I couldn't make it and was resigned to the fact that there was a possibility of me never seeing it. Luck was  however on my side in the form of the Nairobi Film Festival. I got a chance to see Watu Wote and a bunch of other short films. The Nairobi film festival is an annual event that showcases films from different African countries and supports Kenyan films.During this year's festival Supa Modo and Disconnect premiered, both movies made in Kenya by Kenyan actors/actresses and film crews.

Shots!!!!!!!!!!-alcoholic and non-alcoholic ones.

I decided on shorts,shorts and shots(an evening of short films with a twist) and boy am I glad this is what I choose because I got to see 6 short films,free shots(non-alcoholic) and to meet part of the Watu Wote cast and the crew.If this not a win,I don't know what is.

The six short films that were screened are:

Chebet

Chasing paper.

This is a film about a lady,whose husband is an irresponsible drunk.She is heavily pregnant and still has to work picking tea because mzee wa nyumba uses all his money to drink.One night her husband comes home drunk,she refuses to open the door for him,in the morning she finds him asleep outside their door,she drags him and ties him inside the cows' boma.It's really funny and has two small boys who did excellent in portraying rural Kalenjin boys in Kericho. I just wished it was longer because a lot is left to the audiences' conclusions.The whole film is for only twelve hours of Chebet's life.

Seeds

This was a really short film that felt more like a spoken word video.Honestly I didn't get it.

Imfura 

Gisa(Imfura's main character) and his aunty take a break.She was taking him to see his late mum's house that had been destroyed during the genocide.This house was newly built at the time of the genocide and his family hadn't moved in yet 😢😢.

Imfura is set in post genocide Rwanda, soon after the genocide.There is a family conflict over land and the film shows the family members involved in this conflict, during the conflict resolution meetings and during their day to day routine activities.The film had some deep lines especially from the main actors elder brother.Thing with short films as I realized is the audience has to think of their own endings 😐😐.

We Need Prayers-This One Went To The Market

We ukiambiwa watu wanalipa 3000 USDs for your art utauliza?

Patricia Kihoro is a superstar and I loved this because she made the whole cinema laugh with her crazy sense of humour.She plays an artist who is a dot and is trying to get money using what she thinks is in.This is to say artist sometimes draw stuff or make art  that they really don't understand but when they do their exhibitions/installations they just use big words to confuse the audience-segregation,afro futurism,isolation,desolation...................(Patricia's words,not mine)

We Need Prayers-This One Said No

This was so funny and had everyone laughing.It's people at a monthly chama meeting which turns into a the married people with children vs single people with no children war.The big assumption is that single people have no use for money and single person X in this film was fighting for his rights.

The Nest Collective facebook page has these two short films and all the films in their 'We Need Prayers' series,if you have some free time check them out.

Watu Wote

This brings back so many memories of all the trips I have taken to Elwak on the bus.When I used the bus to Elwak there was never peanuts sold though just water and assorted sodas and soft drinks, did the buses upgrade?

Watu Wote was the main reason I went to the film festival and I LOVED it.It's about the attack that happened in Dabacity near Elwak when the Alshabaab attacked a bus travelling from Nairobi to Mandera.After the screening the cast and crew talked about their experience making the movie and you guys it was shot in Magadi!!!! I could have sworn that one of the locations in the film was Kutulo.Also they cast two people from Captain Phillips in it!.

I had a great time at the festival,saw so many famous creatives even said hi to Mbithi Masya(he from Kati Kati) and went home happier.