 |
| Kenyan movie Nairobi Half Life examines gang culture and crime in the Kenyan capital. |
(CNN) -- A hard-hitting Kenyan movie about gang culture has become the country's first-ever film to be considered for an Oscar.
"Nairobi Half Life" has
just been shown at Film Africa 2012, which is currently taking place in
London -- having already made history as the most successful theatrical
release for a local film in Kenya, according to its producers.
 |
| Some of the cast of Nairobi Half Life, Kenya's first-ever film to be considered for an Oscar. |
It's the debut film from Kenyan director David "Tosh" Gitonga, who says he wants to change views about crime in the country.
"We keep saying crime is
wrong, but are we really looking at why there is crime?" he says. "I
don't believe Kenyans get into crime for fun and giggles."
This experience led him to hear stories of gang members flooding
properties and defecating on porches after robberies. He was told: "It
hurts us that you have these things we don't have."
 |
Left to right :
Olwenya Maina, who plays Oti in Nairobi Half Life, and director Tosh
Gitonga, at the film's German premiere in Berlin on October 10.
Gitonga says he wants to change views about crime in Kenya. |
Prior to shooting,
Gitonga wanted to understand the story behind Nairobi's crime culture
and to fully comprehend the situation he spent time with real-life
gangsters.
This experience led him
to hear stories of gang members flooding properties and defecating on
porches after robberies. He was told: "It hurts us that you have these
things we don't have."
Gitonga admits he was left speechless when asked whether it's fair that
some are born into wealth, while others struggle to feed their children
just one meal a day.
"I couldn't answer that question and it still haunts me today," he says.
His film chronicles the
trials and tribulations of the character Mwas -- a young aspiring actor
from rural Kenya who dreams of becoming the next "Bruce Willis."
Mwas moves to Nairobi in
pursuit of that dream -- but experiences first-hand why some people
refer to the city as "Nairobbery," after being robbed of all his
belongings on his first day there.
 |
| Crime is especially
high in Nairobi, according to the U.S. State Department. It estimates
the city averages about 10 vehicle hijackings each day. |
Fighting to survive in
the city, Mwas strikes up an unlikely friendship with a gang leader who
introduces him to a world of theft and violence. This includes taking
part in robberies and carjackings -- common crimes in Nairobi.
According to the U.S. State Department, the city averages about 10 vehicle hijackings each day.
Jitin Mediratta, a Nairobi-born lawyer, describes the movie as a story that hits home.
"I have been a victim of
robbery with violence when I was living with my father a few years
ago," he says. "The truth about the thugs being young and nervous when
carrying out the crimes is indeed true."
While Mediratta says the
film "humanizes" the gangsters, he rejects feeling any empathy for them
-- an opinion shared by his wife Isha, who adds: "A crime is still a
crime."
He does, however, want to know how the Kenyan government plans to improve the situation and tackle social injustices.
It is a sentiment shared
by Gitonga. He hopes the film will help government officials understand
what is happening on the ground, even if just a minority of them take
any action.
There hasn't been a
formal response to the film from the Kenyan government, but Gitonga says
some government officials have discreetly expressed "a need to look at
our country and make things better."
 |
| Joseph Wairimu won
best actor at the Durban International Film Festival for his portrayal
of main character Mwas. In the movie Mwas is an aspiring actor who gets
dragged into a life of crime. |
The movie has already
received international recognition. Joseph Wairimu, who plays Mwas, won
best actor at the Durban International Film Festival, in July. And the
U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering whether
to nominate Nairobi Half Life for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language
Film category -- the first time a Kenyan movie has been considered.
Gitonga is also humbled
by the positive response the film has received from Kenyans, since
Kenyan movies don't usually attract large local audiences.
He feels the movie has
opened doors for other Kenyan filmmakers and African film in general. "I
want the rest of the world to go to the cinema and appreciate a world
they don't know," he says.
