The 7th Edition of The Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF) Opens

Dabbed 'The World Classics,' the 7th edition of KIFF is currently on its 6th day, having officially opened on the 24th last week. The festival has come a long way since its inception. Despite differing opinions, most film practitioners appreciate the platform which showcases films from Kenya, Africa and a few international titles. The opening ceremony took place at the National Museums of Kenya and despite the rains the turnout was great and the event was a success in overall.

[caption id="attachment_492" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bernard Safari impersonating the Captain of Nakara (courtesy: The Captain of Nakara IMDB)[/caption]

The Captain of Nakara, a Blue Sky films/ Papermoon films production written by Cajetan Boy and Martin Thau, was this year's opening film. Characteristic of a film of its magnitude it included a start studded cast including Charles Bukeko as General Lumumba, Patrick Oketch as the Captain of Nakara, Bernanrd Safari as Muntu, Shirleen Wangari as Muna and Charles Kiarie as Sunday.  Almost the entire cast of the film was in attendance and the film was a breathe of fresh to the list of most anticipated Kenyan films to be released. Shot 2 years ago, the film's release was long overdue and it did not disappoint.

[caption id="attachment_490" align="aligncenter" width="481"] Bernard Safari, Njeri Kairu and Charles Kiarie at the KIFF opening[/caption]

The film follows the adventures of two released  prisoners Muntu and Sunday. Muntu meets and falls in love with a beautiful lady Muna, the daughter of a preacher. The story follows the two friends exploits as they try to get indoctrinated back into the society  and as Muntu tries to get the riches he claims to have so that he can finally marry the girl of his dreams. It is a heart warming film which will make you laugh, frown and laugh once again. Not to say that there weren't a few  glitches or room for improvement, as typical of any other film, but credit should be given where it is due and the film does stand out this year. Catch it once again this Friday the 2nd at 2pm, at the Starflix Cinemas Ngong Road Prestige.

[caption id="attachment_493" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Edward Nyanaro and Gerald Langiri at the KIFF opening.[/caption]

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, Dr. Bitange Ndemo, was in attendance and he had little but much to say about the growth of the industry. In general he talked about the tax exemption on film related equipment which came with the revised constitution and the direction we can expect it take over the next coming years.

Don't miss out on the KIFF screenings, which concludes this Friday.  Have a listen at what Patrick Oketch had to say about the film here and get the screening schedule KIFF 2012 SCREENING PRO-1