Underplayed Gems

Kibera Kid (2006)

Kibera Kid poster
Directed by
Nathan Collett
Genre
drama film
Country
Kenya
Runtime
12 min
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

This short drama is set in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. It follows youth living there as they face everyday choices and challenges. The film shows both the hardships and the strengths of the community without sensationalizing them.

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What happens

Kibera Kid is a short film set in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. It was written, directed and co-produced by Nathan Collett in collaboration with the locals of Kibera. It gives a balanced view of life in the slum and the choices which youth face. Everyday life is shown is small touches, such as the opening scene with the children running to hear the Kibera Kid rap, the potatoes frying in a large pan, and the young girl peering through the hole in the wall to see what is going on. The cinematography give the viewer a sense of being present in the slum. The living conditions are neither sensationalized nor sentimentalized. The acting, especially by the lead actor, Ignatius Juma is outstanding. The location, the story and the acting seem very authentic and give the viewer a balanced idea of slum life - both its strengths and challenges. This twelve-minute film featured Kibera actors in the principal roles. It has played at film festivals worldwide including the Berlin Film Festival and it won a Student Emmy from Hollywood. It has been profiled by the BBC, Reuters and Al Jazeera English. In April 2009, a feature film follow up to Kibera Kid was shot. The full-length film focuses on tribal conflict and the possibility of reconciliation. The film had a larger effect as it led to the formation of Hot Sun Foundation which trains the youth of the slums to make their own films. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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