Wanuri Kahiu spins a breathtaking love story in a film based on the acclaimed short story Jambula Tree by Monica Arac de Nyeko. The film follows two young women, Keni and Ziki, as they meet and fall in love while living in Nairobi, their romance backlit by an atmospheric sense of wonder. While their love grows, outside tensions begin to threaten their safety, and soon it appears as though they will be forced to choose between a future together or apart. A powerful feat of cinema, Rafiki was banned in Kenya shortly after its premier do to its portrayal of LGBTQ themes, which are outlawed. And yet, it was Kenya's first feature film invited to the Cannes Film Festival, where it screened in the Official Un Certain Regard program to universal praise.
Director Biography
Born in 1980, filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu made history as the first Kenyan filmmaker invited to Cannes for Rafiki. She is also known for her acclaimed film From A Whisper (08). She is the co-founder of AFROBUBBLEGUM, "a media company that supports, creates and commissions fun, fierce and frivolous African art."
Press
"While Western countries are still struggling to produce many queer stories that don't end in misery and death, or that focus solely on the white male experience, the Kenyan-focused, neon-pink romance of Rafiki is exactly what the world needs." - One Room With a View
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