Wanuri’s American-dream management group

Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu poses on May 9, 2018 during a photocall for the film "Rafiki" during the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. PHOTO | LOIC VENANCE | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Wanuri Kahiu signed with The Gotham Group after her film Rafiki featured at the Cannes Film Festival.
  • Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, founder and CEO of The Gotham Group described Wanuri as a prodigiously talented and brilliant woman.
  • The crew of the film Rafiki received a standing ovation when the film premiered last week at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

Award-winning writer-director of Rafiki, a film that was banned in Kenya after the filmmaker refused to alter the film’s portrayal of a lesbian relationship, and also the first Kenyan to have a feature film to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival, Wanuri Kahiu has scored big.

The director took to social media on Thursday and tweeted that she had signed with The Gotham Group. “This happened.” was her reaction to an article by Deadline.com which reported her good news.

In a statement, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, founder and CEO of The Gotham Group described Wanuri as a prodigiously talented and brilliant woman.

“As an advocate for Africans, especially young women, Wanuri has established herself as a major cultural force. That she refused to edit Rafiki in any way to avoid the Kenyan ban is a testament to Wanuri’s courage and commitment to her creative vision,” she added.

STANDING OVATION

The crew of the film Rafiki received a standing ovation when the film premiered last week at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Wanuri, and actresses Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva held hands and giggled as top movie makers, directors rose up to honour their contribution in furthering the rights of LGBT community in Kenya.

Rafiki, meaning friend in Swahili, is adapted from a prize-winning short story called Jambula Tree by Ugandan writer Monica Arac de Nyeko. The film, tells the tale of two young women whose fathers are political rivals. Kena and Ziki, who fall in love and the community finds out. The girls are forced to choose between love and safety as the two are on different paths, the difficult decisions each must make about the life they lead, and the ramifications of their choices.

The ban was announced by Dr Ezekiel Mutua, the self-described “fervent moral crusader” who runs the Kenya Film Classification Board and has described his job as “upholding our cultural and moral values through content regulation.”

In an interview with Deadline.com, Wanuri said, “In our difficult times, and I say this despite the serious themes in much of my work, I also believe film — and television — needs images of joy and frivolity as well. My hope is that the whole dimension of the human spirit, in Africa and around the world, be reflected in my work.”

PITCH

In other good news from Cannes, Kenya’s film producer and actress Shirleen Wangari, who travelled to the Film Festival after she was selected to pitch her short film for funding, emerged fifth out of the 20 invitees.

She was competing for the funding for her short film Dawn at the invite of The Pitch. The Pitch is a competition that gives film makers the opportunity to pitch their next short film idea to an expert jury for the chance to win money towards the film’s production, and broadcast it on ShortsTV around the world.

Wangari told ActScene from France that she was excited because her pitch was the first to make it to top 5 at the Cannes from film maker from Africa. “I’m so excited to have made it this far and the good news is that the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) were considering funding it.”

Dawn is a post-apocalyptic saga in Kenya that tells a story of a fictional time when a heat wave comes and disease almost wipes out all of humanity. Peter survives but he has to venture outside to scavenge for food and supplies for his pregnant wife. He meets with Diana, a survivor. Unfortunately, Peter gets infected and Diana becomes the only hope Peter’s wife and the unborn baby have left.