The 95th monthly Lola Kenya Screen film forum (LKSff), the most consistent and longest running movie platform on the Nairobi arts and entertainment calendar over the past 11 years, was held on August 29, 2016.
Hosted by ComMattersKenya consultancy in collaboration with Goethe-Institut, the event provided the platform on which 30 budding filmmakers presented their work for appreciation.
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The programme started with two short documentaries on the two previous LKSff events titled 94TH LOLA KENYA SCREEN FILM FORUM WITH LAWRENCE MWAGI and 94TH LOLA KENYA SCREEN FILM FORUM WITH BRIAN OCHIENG.
It was followed by the five-minute ExpertSpeak segment in which Ogova Ondego stressed that Successful Moviemaking Thrives on Hype.
“Making a movie,” Ondego said, “is like giving birth to a child.Just as the real hard work of parenting lies in bringing up a child to responsible adulthood, so does getting the movie seen and consumed by the intended audience.”
“Movie-making is ShowBiz. Show business thrives on hype or what others call the buzz.You have to create the hype,” Ondego, who doubles up as Managing Trustee and Creative Director at Lola Kenya Screen said.
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Ondego stressed that the market is not forgiving of anyone who releases a movie without accompanying:
• synopsis or summary
• full list of credits
• stills of the film in production
• profiles of principal cast
• profiles of main crew (Director, Screen Writer, Producer)
• trailer (formatted for multi-zone)
• motivation/Director’s statement
• poster/flyer/press book
• images of lead cast and crew, and
• website/social media pages
“Submitting naked DVDs is a disservice to both practitioner and festival/market!” Ondego concluded.
BIG BOY, an award-winning children’s movie by Yuri Solodov, a Russian director, journalist, screen writer, teacher and producer was shown to great appreciation; judging from the laughter and comments heard during the screening.
Then the time for showing and discussing the five films in focus came: HAPPY VALENTINES by Tyler Martindale, ARE YOU HAPPY by Henry Mutisya, CLICHÉ by Firul Maithya, ROLEX by Ian Kithinji & Henry Mutisya and INDULGE ME by Ian Kithinji.
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A moderated discussion with panel comprising Firul Maithya (camera/directing), Ian Kithinji (writing/camera/directing), Christine Muthee (producing) and Eunice Ayuma (acting) was the highlight of the evening.
Each session of every LKSff meeting consists of ExpertSpeak; Screening; Discussion; and Networking.
The aims of LKSff are to build capacity in the movie sector of Kenya and eastern Africa; and to help turn movie-making in the region into a sustainable industry.
The Master of Ceremonies was Daisy Okoti while Edwin Amoro and Steve Abuya served as videographer and photographer, respectively. All three are alumni of Lola Kenya Screen’s mentorship/internship programme.
