Cinema of Kenya

The cinema of Kenya refers to the film industry of Kenya. Although a very small industry by western comparison, Kenya has produced or been a location for film since the early 1950s when '' Men Against the Sun'' was filmed in 1952. Although, in the United States, jungle epics that were set in the country were shot in Hollywood as early as the 1940s.

Kenyan cinema

Rather than featured films with fictional content, Kenya has mostly produced documentary films often relating the conditions of the people and poverty in the main cities of Kenya. Since 2000 feature films on DV technology production have increased in the country. They include ''Dangerous Affair'', ''Project Daddy'', and ''Money & the Cross'' by Njeri Karago, ''Babu's Babies'' by Christine Bala, ''Naliaka is Going'' by Albert Wandago, ''The Price of a Daughter'' and ''Behind Closed Doors'' by Jane Murago-Munene, ''The Green Card'' by Brutus Sirucha, ''Malooned'' by Bob Nyanja, ''The Great Betrayal'' by Ingolo wa Keya, ''All Girls Together'' by Cajetan Boy, ''Help'' by Robert Bresson and ''From a Whisper'' by Wanuri Kahiu, and Jitu Films movies: ''Mob Doc'', ''R2 Security'', ''Zeinabu Rudi Nyumbani'', ''Chasing Moses'', ''Selfish, Me, My Wife and Her Guru'', ''Grave Yard'' and ''Through Hell''; and ''The Hammer'' by Cezmiq Cast, and the banned horror film ''Otto the Bloodbath''.

Feature films before 2000 include ''The Battle of the Sacred Tree'' (1995) by Wanjiru Kinyanjui which won several awards (OCIC and the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame award in the US), ' Saikati' (1992) and 'Saikati Enkabaani' (1998) by Anne Mungai, ''The Married Bachelor'' (1997) by Ingolo wa Keya and ''Kolor Mask'' by Sao Gamba. Numerous short fictions are also on the increase such as ''The Baisikol''(1997) by Ingolo wa Keya, ''Ras Star'' by Wanuri Kahiu, ''Subira'' by Kenya-based Indian film director Ravneet Sippy Chadha, ''Life in D Major'' by Angelo Kinyua, and ''Extracts of Me'' by William Owusu.

Other low-budget independent filmmakers using digital technology to shoot their films and sell them locally on DVD and VCD format have spawned the Riverwood Industry. Though it originally takes its name from River-road, the busy street where music tapes and electronics are sold, Riverwood is fast capturing the attention of the mainstream TV stations and pan-African broadcasters. Mburu Kimani's ''The Race'' earned an award at the inaugural Kalasha Awards (Kenya's TV and Film Awards) for "Best Riverwood Film". Other films in this genre include Simiyu Barasa's '' Toto Millionaire'' (2007), and numerous other vernacular films like ''Kihenjo'' and ''Machangi''.

Films such as 2006's '' I Want to Be a Pilot'' relates an emotional tale of a young boy living in poverty in Nairobi who has dreams and aspirations of becoming an airline pilot and being set free from his life of hardship.

In 2007 Vivid features, a big Kenyan Media house, decided to diversify from their traditional services and venture into local feature film production. During this time Vivid managed to produce 24 Kenyan feature films under the name of Jitu Films with different directors such as Alexandros Konstantaras, Evelyn Kahungu and Hawa Essuman. Jitu tried to help to create a dependable market for Kenyan films by helping developing a cinema going and a DVD buying culture for local Kenyan films as well as reaching other audiences outside Africa. To beat piracy Jitu has their original DVDs on sale only for under a dollar in all big Supermarkets and shops . The DVDs are original high standard quality with extra menus with other film trailers, etc.
In 2010 Jitu Film's ''Otto: the Blood Bath'' earned its reputation not only by being the first Kenyan Horror movie being banned the last years by the Kenyan Censorship Board as "Too horrific even to an adult" but by winning the first prize as the Best East African Film in the last edition of the Rwanda Film Festival.

Film such as 2010's ''Togetherness Supreme'', a fictional feature film by Nathan Collett have received national and international attention for revealing some of issues affecting Kenyan society. ''Togetherness Supreme'' tells the story of Kamau, an artist, who uses his talent to promote change in Kibera, and is a story of love, conflict, and ultimately, of reconciliation.

'' Kibera Kid'' directed by Kenya-based director Nathan Collett is a short twelve-minute film which covers themes of crime and poverty in the slums of Kibera, Nairobi and also morality as the young protagonist must make a choice between living with a gang of thieves or living a life free of crime. The story is fictional but the circumstances and reality depicted are not. The film received seven international awards and received attention at various film festivals worldwide including the Berlin Film Festival and it was accoladed with a Student Emmy in Hollywood. It has been profiled by BBC
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