Three Kenyan films to feature at TIFF ‘22
The Toronto International Film Festival returns this September 8-18 for its 47th edition, and included on the lineup are three Kenyan films.
Shimoni, Baba and Free Money will be making their world premier at the 11-day festival featuring international and Canadian cinema, and special events featuring some of the biggest names in film.
Shimoni: In this gripping and carefully developed drama from editor–turned–writer-director Angela Wanjiku Wamai, a teacher newly released from prison renegotiates the confines of the physical world while forced to face his nightmare in the flesh. For schedule and tickets https://www.tiff.net/events/shimoni
A bold and bracing debut from director Angela Wanjiku Wamai, Shimoni is a study on how terror can transform the body beyond its own recognition. Skillfully illustrating the passage of time to gently attend to long-lingering tensions, Wamai carefully paints a sharp portrait of the peril in perseverance and the devastating power of silence.
For TIFF ticketing info https://www.tiff.net/about-tiff-22?tab=dates
Baba: Kenyan film director Mbithi Masya will debut his 15-minute short film Baba. The film will screen under the Short Cuts Program alongside six other films. A six-year-old boy living in the outskirts of Nairobi uses an unusual ability to escape a harsh reality, in this wildly imaginative and emotionally affecting tale of childhood. For schedule and tickets visit https://www.tiff.net/events/short-cuts-2022-programme-02
This is Mbithi’s second film to premiere at TIFF. His first feature film, Kati Kati, produced by award-winning German director Tom Tykwer, won several international awards, including the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award in the Discovery Program at TIFF 2016.
Free Money: Directed by Lauren de Fillipo and Sam Soko, this timely documentary chronicles the consequences, both intended and unintended, when everyone in a Kenyan village is offered a universal basic income (UBI) by a US organization. For schedule and tickets https://www.tiff.net/events/free-money
Filmmakers Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko deliver an exploration of the big ideas being launched from Manhattan office buildings juxtaposed with portraits of local Kenyans whose lives are being dramatically impacted for better or worse. We meet GiveDirectly co-founder Michael Faye, who was drawn to the concept of UBI after studying previous charities that failed in their missions to alleviate poverty. Faye and his cohorts feel the solution is to put the money directly into the hands of the poor and let them choose how to use it.
Established in 1976, TIFF is a charitable cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world, through film. As Canada’s premiere home of cinema, TIFF offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, events, professional development and opportunities to meet, hear and learn from filmmakers from Canada and around the world.
Wambui Essie [twritter @westesita]
WakenyaCanada
