Some will dismiss Wanuri Kahiu’s Rafiki as derivative simply because they refuse to see what makes it so special. They’ll mention its Romeo and Juliet parallel as far as having the children of opposing political candidates fall in love. They’ll compare it to generic love stories—and generic gay love stories—because that’s what it is at its core. And when the subject of prejudice and violence towards these young lovers arises, they won’t shy from deeming it already treaded territory. What such reductive takes ignore, however, is that this isn’t just a gay love story between two women who should be diametrically opposed to one another due to their fathers’ ambitions. The fact it takes place and was shot in Nairobi, Kenya makes it so much more.
This truth isn’t reliant on the political ramifications spawned upon its Cannes release either—although...
This truth isn’t reliant on the political ramifications spawned upon its Cannes release either—although...
- 4/16/2019
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
The 17th Marrakech International Film Festival (Nov 30 – Dec 08) has set a jury comprising Suspiria star Dakota Johnson, Indian actress Ileana D’Cruz (Barfi!), Lebanese filmmaker and visual artist Joana Hadjithomas (I Want To See), Brit director Lynne Ramsay (We Need To Talk About Kevin), Moroccan director Tala Hadid (House In The Fields), French director Laurent Cantet (The Class), German actor Daniel Brühl (Rush) and Mexican director Michel Franco (April’s Daughter). As previously revealed, director James Gray will serve as jury president.
A total of 80 films will unspool at the festival, with Julian Schnabel’s Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate among gala screenings and also the festival’s opener. Other galas include Roma, Green Book and Capernaum while special screenings include Wildlife, Her Smell and Birds Of Passage. The official competition, galas and special screenings are listed below.
The festival will also feature tributes to Robert DeNiro, Robin Wright,...
A total of 80 films will unspool at the festival, with Julian Schnabel’s Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate among gala screenings and also the festival’s opener. Other galas include Roma, Green Book and Capernaum while special screenings include Wildlife, Her Smell and Birds Of Passage. The official competition, galas and special screenings are listed below.
The festival will also feature tributes to Robert DeNiro, Robin Wright,...
- 11/19/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
At a time when Greg Berlanti’s “Love, Simon” is belatedly bringing the subject of adolescent homosexual desire to the mall-movie crowd, along comes “Rafiki” to remind us that Lgbt narratives in the mainstream are not to be taken for granted. Many international viewers would identify nothing especially subversive in Kenyan writer-director Wanuri Kahiu’s pure-hearted, candy-colored tale of first love blooming between two teenage girls in the rough streets of Nairobi. Yet at home, where homosexuality remains a criminal offense, “Rafiki” has been slapped with a ban for its positive representation — a state of affairs that makes this lively, brightly performed film impossible not to celebrate, even as its decidedly conventional script skimps on richer dramatic opportunities.
Even without the sympathetic controversy engendered by the ban, this Cannes Un Certain Regard entry would be a shoo-in for the Lgbt festival circuit and distribution market, in which African queer films...
Even without the sympathetic controversy engendered by the ban, this Cannes Un Certain Regard entry would be a shoo-in for the Lgbt festival circuit and distribution market, in which African queer films...
- 5/10/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
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