Skip to main content

The rise of the voice: Rafiki at the IFFK




‘Rafiki’, a film banned in its homeland Kenya, will be screened at the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala under the World Cinema category. The film directed by Wanuri Kahiu, takes on the subject of homosexuality and is the first Kenyan film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival where it was included under the Un Certain Regard section.

In a nation where same sex marriage is illegal and homosexuality is criminalised, making a film on the same theme is a bold move by Kahiu. She tried to pull it off in a conservative society in which LGBTQ people are not allowed to address their partners as lovers but as ‘rafiki’ - ‘friends’ in Swahili language. The women-led film – from female director, writers, crew members, trainees, to sound-track artists - was banned by the Kenyan Film Classification Board, “due to its homosexual theme”, and was screened a mere seven times even after the lifting of the ban as Kahiu sued the government. It was shown to a sold-out crowd at a cinema at Nairobi, and the ban raised international outrage by the supporters of LGBTQ rights.

‘Rafiki’ tells the love story of two girls, Kena and Ziki. Kena, a tomboyish Kenyan girl, falls for Ziki, who is the daughter of Kena’s father’s political rival. Both of them try to be secretive about their relationship but eventually are forced to choose between their love and safety.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IFFK Closing Ceremony Today (Dec 13)

The 23 rd edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala, after a week of film-viewing experience, will come to an end today (Dec 13) evening. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Closing Ceremony in Nishagandhi Auditorium at 6 PM. A K Balan, Minister for Welfare for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, Law, Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, will preside over the ceremony. V S Sunil Kumar, Minister for Agriculture will be the Chief Guest. A K Balan will distribute the Media Awards. V S Sivakumar MLA, Kamal, Chairman, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Bina Paul, Vice Chairperson, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Mahesh Panju, Secretary, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, will participate in the ceremony. Following the ceremony, the winner of the award for the best film in International Competition will be screened. The FFSI K R Mohanan Endowment for the Best Debut Director from India, has also been incepted this year. Indian films includin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ray and Bergman biggest inspirations: Bahman Farmanara

“Indian Cinema has witnessed the mastery of prominent filmmaker Satyajit Ray who has produced incredible films with minimum facilities. The enormous film scale of Ray’s films have always been an influential factor, with realistic themes portrayed in relevant contexts”, said Iranian film director Bahman Farmanara in the ‘Meet The Press’ session of the 23 rd IFFK. “Swedish filmmaker Ernst Ingmar Bergman and American filmmaker Oliver Stone have also been major guidance to me in narrating stories of people, their issues related to socio-economic and cultural aspects, in a far more exciting perspective”, told Farmanara, whose film, ‘Tale of the Sea’ is in the International Competition section of the fest. ‘Tale of the Sea’ is a byproduct of the renaissance of art and artists in the past 40 years of Iran. The director emphasized on the approach of filmmaking in the country. “In our films, we don’t tend to touch, kiss, or hold hands with women. It is not how it is in the country, no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Those Who Ban Films, Have Not Seen The Films: Majid Majidi EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO IFFK MEDIA CELL

“Those who ban films, have not seen the films. As for ‘Muhammad’ (Muhammad: The Messenger of God), I don’t even know what is wrong. There is always politics behind it, but you can never keep everything in cages. They will eventually fly past the restrictions. I am sure, the whole world will watch my film,” said renowned Iranian filmmaker, Majid Majidi to the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Media Cell of the IFFK. ‘Muhammad is not a religious or a political film. It is all about humanity. It is an attempt to portray the real face of Islam. I ask them why, because it is all so illogical,” he said. While discussing his thoughts on Indian Cinema, he called Satyajit Ray ‘The Soul of Indian Cinema’. “Indian Cinema takes a lot of money from the public and making the filmmakers rich. I don’t know how much they contribute back to the society. Cinema has immense capability,” opined Majidi. “Film festivals like the IFFK play a crucial role in designing the audience and the culture of the soc...
Post a Comment
Read more