What happens?

Mwakenya is a 16-minute narrative short (with documentary elements) based on a true story set in 1989 Nairobi, Kenya. The film explores the effects of political exile and draconian governance on a single family - tracing the limits of romantic love, amorphous ideas of home, and heavy burdens of civic duty. In this frenetic drama we explore one of the most violent chapters of Kenyan history through the love story of two young Kenyans - based on my parents' real life experiences. We follow Muthama, an idealistic 33 year old revolutionary Kenyan, living in exile who risks his like to cross the border when a break in communication causes him to worry about his sister and his girlfriend. Over the next few hours he receives life changing news from his girlfriend that changes his outlook on the movement.

Kenya in 2025

In June 2024, protests broke out in Kenya when citizens, mainly the youth, took to the streets to express their outrage at a proposed finance bill that looked to increase taxes on bread, healthcare, and sanitary pads among other things. These protests were met with extreme violence with reports of live bullets being fired in the streets as well as secret abductions of people deemed to be leaders of the movement. This violence led to calls for the president's resignation and was reminiscent of the dictatorship in the 80s.

A lasting effect of the dictatorship in the is that, to this day, people are hesitant to talk about the regime and their involvement in the movement. The result of this is that when protests broke out in Kenya this year many saw no connection to the revolutionary spirit from the 80s which can serve as inspiration, blueprint, and warning. The film is crafted to help draw this connection.

(Image Credits: Mwangi Kirubi)

Musila Munuve, Director filming protests in Nairobi in July, 2024.

(Image Credits: Mwangi Kirubi)

Our Influences

Every time my father crossed the border, he had to do so quickly, often in darkness, and stay on the city outskirts. I plan to underscore the reality of his experience through the camera where possible. Mwakenya will employ darkness to emphasise the secrecy of my father's visits and highlight the emotional slivers of light in the narrative. A reference in this respect will be the photography of Roy DeCarava, an aesthetic touchstone for the film. Surrounded by routine violence, the couple's love is a bright spot shrouded in darkness. The film's most brightly exposed moments will be when the couple can be alone together.

Our protagonist goes through the emotional whiplash of running from the police on the same day he spends an afternoon with his girlfriend. The film hopes to punctuate this whiplash with camera movement. In the moments of pursuit, a lightweight camera will allow us to get handheld shots to inform Muthama’s perspective. The camera will, contrastingly, move slowly and sparingly when Mueni and Muthama are together, underscoring the peace they find together in the eye of the storm. Inspired by the depiction of another couple navigating impossible circumstances in If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).

My father's music collection predominantly features African music from the incredibly fruitful 1980s. Much of the music from these years reflected the revolutionary spirit of the time and the disappointment many felt with post-independence leadership. François “Franco” Luambos released Luvumbu Ndoki in 1987. This song led him to be detained by Mobutu Sese Seko for being critical of his regime. Bring Him Back Home, by Hugh Masekela, was released in the same year and called for Nelson Mandela's release from Robben Island. At this time, Benga music dominated the airwaves in Nairobi. I plan to source music that captures this spirit to play diegetically in the film.

In the present day, my experience at the protests this summer showed me that many of the protest songs from the 1980s remain relevant. These pieces of music are one of the many ways these two movements are tied together, and one such protest song is in the script's third act. Finally, I plan to work with young Kenyan composers defining the future of Kenyan music for the scoring of the film.

Past Work

"My work in film school so far has been concerned with young people confronting the world around them as they come of age and interrogate the identities they hold. With Mwakenya I am engaging this theme through the experiences of those closest to me and in the place I call home; both a comforting and challenging prospect."

Indi Opzoomer, Director of Photography (far right) and Musila Munuve, Director (middle) and Joshua-Zion Styles on the set of Madawa (Short 2024)

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Where we're at

We're very grateful to receive the Texas Moody Innovation Grant, Texas Moody Development Grant, and the Texas Graduate Recognition Fellowship as well as contributions from the Filmmakers. However we still need to close a funding gap to make this film happen.

Budget Breakdown

Next Steps

While we are aiming for $10,000 with this campaign if we were able to raise more than that the funds would go towards post-production and distribution of the film.