Kenya Film Commission - Films & Awards

	Out of Africa (1985) Director: Sydney Pollack, Starring: Meryl Streep/ Robert Redford AWARDS: 7 Oscar Academy Awards including Best Director, Best Cinematography (full list- Kenya at the Oscars). A study of the life of Danish noblewoman and storyteller Karen ('Isak') Dinesen Blixen, from her marriage and departure for Kenya in 1913 until her return to Denmark in 1931. As she struggles to maintain a coffee farm through various struggles and disasters, and strives to improve relations with the local natives, her marriage of convenience to a titled aristocrat gradually gives way to an enduring romance with the noted hunter and adventurer Denys Finch Hatton. synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Constant Gardener (2005) Director: Fernando Meirelles Starring: Ralph Fiennes/ Rachel Weisz AWARDS: Oscar Academy Award -Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Rachel Weisz Based on the best-selling John le Carré novel and from the Academy Award-nominated director of "City of God ." In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined. synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa) (2001) Director: Caroline Link Starring: Juliane Kohler/Merab Ninidze AWARDS: 1 Oscar Academy Awards - Best Foreign Language film A Jewish family in Germany emigrate short before the Second World War. They move to Kenya to start running a farm, but not all members of the family come to an arrangement with their new life. Shortly after their departure, things are changing in Germany very quickly, and a turning back seems impossible. So everyone has to arrange himself with the new life in a new continent synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Mo & Me (2006) Director: Roger Mills / Murad Rayani AWARDS: Best International Documentary- Los Angeles International Film Festival Salim Amin, son and only child of world renowned journalist the late Mohamed "Mo" Amin, undertakes a journey of recollection and reflection into the life of the frequently absent, globe-trotting father he loved, revered and feared. synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Die Weisse Masai (2005) Director: Hermine Huntgeburth Starring: Nina Hoss, Jackie Ido Based upon an autobiographical novel by Swiss writer Corinne Hofmann, the film tells of a girl, Carola (Nina Hoss), whose vacation in Kenya takes an interesting turn when she becomes infatuated with a Masai. Carola decides to leave her boyfriend to stay with her lover. There, she has to adapt to the Masai's way of life and get used to their food which includes milk mixed with blood. She also has to face her husband's attitude towards women and what he expects from a wife. Nonetheless, Carola is welcomed warmly into the tribe she has chosen to join. synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Born Free (1966) Director: James Hill Starring: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers Joy Adamson and her husband, Kenya game warden George Adamson, raise Elsa, a lion cub. When Elsa approaches maturity, Joy determines she must re-educate Elsa to living in the wild so that the lioness can return to a free life. synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Rain in a Dry Land (2006) Director: Anne Makepeace In 2004, thirteen thousand Somali Bantu refugees realized their dream of coming to America. They are now living in fifty cities across the country, becoming the largest African group from a single community to settle in the United States at one time.Rain in a Dry Land chronicles two years in the lives of two extended Somali Bantu families as they leave behind a 200-year legacy of oppression in Africa to face new challenges in a strange new land. The film begins in January 2004, at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where our featured families are stunned by what they learn about America in their “Cultural Orientation” class. From this beginning, filmmaker Anne Makepeace brilliantly succeeds in capturing every step of this remarkable journey, from their very different new homes – Springfield, Massachusetts versus Atlanta, Georgia – through their encounters with racism, poverty, failures of the school system, and severe culture shock. Both of these war-torn families do find ways to survive in America, and to create a safe haven. synopsis courtesy of http://makepeaceproductions.com/
	Tomb Raider (2003) Director: Jan De Bont Starring: Angelina Jolie Intrepid British archaeologist Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) has made perhaps the most important archaeological discovery in history: an orb that leads to the mythical Pandora's Box. Unfortunately, the orb falls into the hands of Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds), an evil scientist who deals in killer viruses and hopes to sell the secrets of the box as the ultimate weapon. Recruited by British Intelligence to get the orb back from Reiss, Lara recruits Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), a British marine turned mercenary (and her former love interest) to help. The two embark on an adventure that spans continents in an attempt to regain the orb... synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Gorillas in the Mist (The story of Dian Fossey)(1988) Director: Michael Apted Starring: Sigourney Weaver Sigourney Weaver stars as Dian Fossey, in this true story about Fossey's study of gorillas, and her efforts to stop the decimation of the endangered apes. synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	Malooned (2007) Director : Bob Nyanja Starring: Gabriella Mutia/ Godfrey Odhaimbo AWARDS: Silver Dhow, Zanzibar International Film Festival 2007 From homegrown talent, director Bob Nyanja, comes an original Kenyan film. Di (Gabriella Mutia) is "28", beautiful, intelligent, confident, and just the tiniest bit spoiled. From their first meeting, Luther (Godfrey Odhiambo) can see nothing makes this woman happy, especially the thought of spending her Easter weekend with him… in a toilet! Trapped together in the ladies of the 15th floor of a Nairobi skyscraper, the two have no choice but to make the best of their forced "vacation", working together despite their differences; finding in themselves, and each other, a strength untold.
	King Solomons Mines (1950) Director(s): Compton Bennet/Andrew Marton Starring: Deborah Kerr/ Stewart Granger AWARDS: 2 Oscar Academy Awards 1951- Best Cinematography,Colour; Best Film Editing Guide Allan Quartermain helps a young lady (Beth) find her lost husband somewhere in Africa. It's a spectacular adventure story with romance, because while they fight with wild animals and cannibals they fall in love. Will they find the lost husband and finish the nice connection? Based on the 1885 novel by the same name by Henry Rider Haggard, this adaptation was considered mostly serious in tone and quite faithful to the novel. synopsis courtesy of http://www.imdb.com, http:// www.wikipedia.org
	Hip hop Colony (2005) Director : Michael Wanguhu AWARDS: Best Urban Documentary - Los Angeles Film Festival; Best Urban Documentary - San Francisco Film Festival The documentary film, takes you through a journey into the heart of Kenya.A former British colony, where hip hop has firmly established it's roots. Hip Hop Colony takes an intimate look at hip hop, while establishing its genesis in Kenya. synopsis courtesy of http://www.hiphopcolony.com/
	Mogambo (1953) Director:John Ford Starring: Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Donald Sinden AWARDS: Golden Globe- Best Supporting Actress: Grace Kelly Eloise Y. 'Honey Bear' Kelly (Gardner) arrives at a remote African outpost, looking for a rich maharajah acquaintance, only to find him already gone. While waiting for the next boat out, she toys with hardworking big game hunter Victor Marswell (Gable), who (initially) has no respect for her type. Marswell takes Donald Nordley (Donald Sinden) and his wife Linda (Kelly) on safari to film a documentary on gorillas, with Kelly tagging along. Both women are attracted to Marswell, and the scene is set for fireworks between the two rivals. Mogambo ('Passion' in Swahili) is a lavish remake of the classic film Red Dust (1932). The earlier movie also featured Clark Gable in the lead role. synopsis courtesy of www.wikipedia.com

	Kibera Kid (2006) Director: Nathan Collett Starring: Ignatius Juma AWARDS: Best Director- Angelus Film Festival ; Best Short Film - Kenya International Film Festival; Best Kenyan Children's Film - Lola Children's Film Festival, EMMY AWARD in the 'College Television Award for the Children's Program' category Otieno (the Kibera Kid) is a twelve-year old orphan living in Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums. Otieno lives with the Razors, a gang of petty thieves.After a theft gone bad, Otieno is forced to choose between saving an innocent man’s life and the Razors, the only family he knows. TRAILER : http://www.hotsunfilms.com/KiberaKid/KiberaKidTrailer300Kbps.mov synopsis courtesy of www.hotsunfilms.com
	Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) Director: Henry King Starring : Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner As writer Harry Street (Gregory Peck) lays gravely wounded from an African hunting accident he feverishly reflects on what he perceives as his failures at love and writing. Through his delirium he recalls his one true love Cynthia Green (Ava Gardner) who he lost by his obsession for roaming the world in search of stories for his novels. Though she is dead Cynthia continues to haunt Street's thoughts. In spite of one successful novel after another, Street feels he has compromised his talent to ensure the success of his books, making him a failure in his eyes. His neglected wife Helen (Susan Hayward) tends to his wounds, listens to his ranting, endures his talk of lost loves, and tries to restore in him the will to fight his illness until help arrives. Her devotion to him makes him finally realize that he is not a failure. With his realization of a chance for love and happiness with Helen, he regains his will to live. synopsis courtesy of www.imdb.com
	The Knife Grinders Tale Director : R.L Hooker Starring: Sam Otieno, Mumbi Kaigwa, Stephen Gitau, David Mulwa AWARDS: Best Short Film - Vail Film Festival 2007; Best Director - Beverley Hills Film Festival 2007 Based on a short story by Yvonne Adhaimbo Owuor this is the story of Ogwang, a countryside knife grinder who loses his son to an angry city mob. Not kowing the place his son lost his life, Ogwang sets out on a journey to bridge the distance between love and death in the face of violence. www.theknifegrinderstale.com
	Massaï, les guerriers de la pluie / Maasai, the warriors of the rain (2004) Director : Pascal Plisson Starring : Ngotiek Ole Mako, Paul Nteri Ole Sekenan, Parkasio Ole Muntet From the award winning film makers of March of the Penguins comes a unique film that follows the lives of young still inexperienced Maasai warriors in the search of a mythical lion, Vitchua, incarnation of Red God, God of revenge, to bring back its mane.By this the warriors will put an end to the curse of no rain which has seized their community, and will thus make it return. In this search through the plains of Kenya, the young warriors will learn direction from the friendship and courage they gain. At every moment confronted with the danger, they will have to face betrayal, fear and competition to become men. Inspired by Massaï mythology, Massaï, les guerriers de la pluie,is an initiation fable for young and old alike, it tells a universal history of all of us travel in the middle of a culture that is still isolated from the rest of the world. synopsis courtesy of http://www.cinemovies.fr/