They tried to bury her but what they didn’t know is that she was a seed! There’s really no stopping Wanuri Kahiu as she has proven all the naysayers including moral cop Ezekiel Mutua wrong.
Wanuri this year made history when her LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) movie, Rafiki became the first film from Kenya to be selected to screen at the Cannes Film Festival.
Wanuri has now broken yet another glass ceiling and put Kenya on the map as she is set to direct Covers, a romance set in the Los Angeles music world, for Working Title and Universal.
Wanuri was signed after an international search for the job to direct first-time screenwriter Flora Greeson’s screenplay, which Universal had acquired preemptively. Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce, Alexandra Loewy will executive produce while Universal’s EVP Production Erik Baiers will oversee the entire production.
Wanuri’s film Rafiki was banned in her home country, Kenya earlier this year because of its LGBTQ narrative; based on the short story Jambula Tree by Ugandan writer Monica Arac de Nyeko.
The film is a love story between two girls who have to choose between happiness and safety in a country where homosexual activity is against the law.
When it was banned in Kenya, the authorities said that anyone found in its possession would be in breach of law.
Wanuri however refused to alter the film after it was banned by the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) to court.
“I truly believe that an adult Kenyan audience is mature and discerning enough to be able to watch this film and have their own conversation,” said Wanuri.
KFCB Chief Executive Ezekiel Mutua argued that the film sought to “normalise homosexuality in Kenya” and condemned it for showing “the resilience of the youngsters involved in lesbianism.”
The Kenyan High Court in support of Wanuri granted a temporary lift to allow the movie to have a seven-day Oscar-qualifying run in Kenyan cinemas. The high demand for tickets of the lesbian-themed film forced theatres to triple the screenings. Rafiki was also added to screen at other theatres in Kisumu and Mombasa.
The film also was picked to screen at the Toronto Film Festival, London Film Festival and AFI Fest, among others.
Wanuri Kahiu is a Kenyan film director, producer, and author. She has received several awards and nominations for the films which she directed, including the awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009 for her dramatic feature film From a Whisper.
Kahiu, also co-founder of Afrobubblegum, a media company that supports, creates and commissions African art, is repped by CAA and Gotham Group. Greeson is repped by UTA.
Working Title’s recent releases with Universal include the Oscar-nominated Darkest Hour via Focus Features, which also is releasing WT’s Mary, Queen of Scots. It also is behind Universal’s adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.
Dr. Ezekiel Mutua must really be ashamed of himself after he tried to stop Wanuri’s shine early this year. No matter which side of the argument you are on, one thing is sure, the film Rafiki was the breakthrough Wanuri needed as it has opened great doors for her to thrive.
Do you think Wanuri’s engagement in the world of film around the world will put Kenyan film makers on the map?