Every friday, something awesome happens in Nairobi, at The Nest. Muse KE screens movies that to find, would be akin to drawing blood out of a stone. Muse KE however, make miracles happen! Check out their screenings for this month below!
Tsotsi
May 3rd 2013 Screening at 1900h
Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto – where survival is the primary objective – TSOTSI traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.
TSOTSI is a gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme urban deprivation. His world pumps with the raw energy of “Kwaito music” – the modern beat of the ghetto that reflects his troubled state of mind.
The film is a psychological thriller in which the protagonist is compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions. It puts a human face on both the victims and the perpetrators of violent crime and is ultimately a story of hope and a triumph of love over rage. – Official Website.
Something Necessary
May 10th 2013 Screening at 1900h
Something Necessary is an intimate moment in the lives of Anne and Joseph. A woman struggling to rebuild her life after the civil unrest that swept Kenya after the 2007 elections claiming the life of her husband, the health of her son and leaving her home on an isolated farm in the Kenyan countryside in ruins, she now has nothing but her resolve to rebuild her life left. A young man, troubled gang member who participated in the countrywide violence is drawn to Anne and her farm seemingly in search of redemption. Both, Joseph and Anne need something that only the other can give to allow them to shed the painful memories of their past and move on. – IMDb
Some members of the cast and crew will be at the screening for a discussion after the film.
Life, Above All
May 17th 2013 Screening at 1900h
In the dusty small town of Elandsdoorn, a South African township not far from Johannesburg, life is simple and serene. A prevailing sense of pride tightly bonds together the entire community – but beware those who step out of line … 12-year-old Chanda is a hardworking promising young student with a bright future, but her life changes dramatically when her baby sister unexpectedly dies. Heartbroken, Chanda’s mother, Lillian, in turn becomes severely ill. Her stepfather drowns himself in alcohol, leaving the young girl to take care of her two smaller siblings. Meanwhile, the formerly friendly neighbours become increasingly distant and gossip spreads.
“Auntie” Tafa does what she can to help by getting Lillian to leave town, but not even she is immune to the cloud of fear filtering across Elandsdoorn. Suspecting that the community’s irrational ostracism has to do with her mother’s illness and the death of her baby sister, Chanda demands answers but is met with stubborn silence. Unwilling to bear the weight of secrecy any longer, Chanda sets out to face a deeply engrained, unspoken taboo …- Official Website
Nairobi Half Life
May 24th 2013 Screening at 1900h
A young man, Mwas (Joseph Wairimu) still lives with his parents in their rural home in Kenya. He makes a living by selling western action films, he dramatically acts and portrays most of the action figures in his films in order to entice his customers. He is an aspiring actor and when he comes across a group of actors from Nairobi performing in his town, he asks one of them to help him jump start his acting career. But in return he is asked to give ksh1000 approximately USD10 in order for him to be cast in one of the plays. He can only afford ksh500 and is told to take the other kshs 500 with him to the National theatre in Nairobi. He is very excited and after receiving some money from his mother he embarks on his journey to Nairobi with a brief stop over in his town to bade his friends goodbye. He meets his cousin (a gang leader) who gives Mwas an expensive radio system and some money to take to Khanji electronic shop in downtown Nairobi.
After making his way to Nairobi, he quickly learns that there is more to Nairobi than just opportunities and glamour. On the first day, Mwas loses everything he has to Nairobi thugs and is left stranded and confused especially because he knows no one. He gets arrested and even spends a day in jail. In a twist of events, he meets a Nairobi crook who becomes a close friend and takes him into his criminal gang. He slowly gets into crime while trying to make his acting dreams come true. He finds himself struggling and juggling the two separate worlds. – Wikipedia
Some members of the cast and crew will be at the screening for a discussion after the film
Skin
May 31st 2013 Screening at 1900h
SKIN is one of the most moving stories to emerge from apartheid South Africa: Sandra Laing is a black child born in the 1950s to white Afrikaners, unaware of their black ancestry. Her parents are rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, who lovingly bring her up as their ‘white’ little girl. But at the age of ten, Sandra is driven out of white society. The film follows Sandra’s thirty-year journey from rejection to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation, as she struggles to define her place in a changing world – and triumphs against all odds. – Official Website
Directions:
House Number 4,
Jabavu Maisonettes (directly opposite the Kilimani Police Station)
Jabavu Road.
If you’re using public transport, use route number 46, disembark at the Kwality bus-stop and walk up the Cabro’d Mtito Andei Road (sometimes confusingly referred to as Rose Avenue). Turn left at the junction of Mtito Andei Road and Jabavu Road and walk a few meters to Jabavu Maisonettes.
