Wanuri Kahiu
Writing
Biography
Wanuri Kahiu (born 21 June 1980) 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. She is also the co-founder of AFROBUBBLEGUM, a media collective dedicated to supporting African art.
Known For
11-year-old George Washington "Wash" Black embarks on a globe-trotting journey of identity after fleeing a Barbados sugar plantation aboard a flying machine in the company of his master’s eccentric inventor brother.
Washington Black
On the night of her college graduation, Natalie's life splits into parallel realities after she takes a pregnancy test. What will life and love bring?
Look Both Ways
Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.
Rafiki
Adaptation of the Broadway musical. The story is set in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea and tells of a peasant girl who falls in love with an aristocrat. Against this backdrop, social class differences play out while the island gods wager a bet of what is stronger, love or death.
Once on This Island
A sci-fi film about futuristic Africa, 35 years after World War III, 'The Water War'.
Pumzi
Sarah loves her school and wants to be a nurse. But traditional Maasai culture and the pressures of a long drought are about to change her life. A generous dowry offer means her family must decide whether to conduct traditional circumcision (FGM/C) and accept this offer, or miss a rare chance to rebuild their wealth.
Sarah
Through the eyes and guided by the wisdom of children, Who Am I? gives an enlightened voice to the tribal and religious fissures that are growing in Kenyan society, providing a voice of wisdom and compassion, all with the inherent child’s understanding of fairness.
Who Am I?
Behind the scenes documentary about "Catch A Fire" (Dir. Phillip Noyce/ Working Title/Universal Films). Following Derek Luke as he prepares for the role of Patrick Chamusso, a South African guerilla fighter.
The Spark That Unites Us
When an intelligence officer and a young, rebellious artist discover that they both lost somebody in the US Embassy bombing 10 years ago, they learn how to confront their fears and forgive.
From a Whisper
Kenyan Jim Chuchu’s short film casts a voyeur’s obsession with the girl next door, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, science fiction and fiction.
Homecoming
From Focus Features comes Africa First: Volume One, a joyous collection of innovative and original short films from around the African continent. This anthology comprises four films: The Abyss Boys (Jan-Hendrik Beetge), The Tunnel (Jenna Cato Bass), St. Louis Blues (Dyana Gaye) and Pumzi (Wanuri Kahiu).