Kenyan film shows consequences of violent unrest
SOMETHING NECESSARY tells the story of two people against the backdrop of public unrest following the Kenyan presidential elections in 2007/2008.
Anne, a Kenyan, has lost everything in a gang attack. Her husband is dead, her son is in a coma, she has been raped, and her family’s small farm has been razed. Against all odds, the widowed nurse tries to cope with the traumatic events and claim back her existence bit by bit. She tries to forgive those responsible and is determined to open up new prospects for her son.
On the flipside, the film portrays a young man who was a member of the gang that night. Joseph is conscious of the scope of his actions but he battles to find peace as a wrongdoer. Both Joseph and Anne are looking for something that can only be offered by the other to process the painful experiences of the past and move forward. But which of the two will be successful?
Film director Judy Kibinge said “Immediately after the announcement of the disputed election results in early 2008, Kenya was shaken by violent unrest. Stirred up and promoted by unscrupulous politicians, hundreds of unemployed youngsters spread over the country in a wave of violence that claimed thousands of lives and drove hundreds of thousands of people from their land.”
Something Necessary shows how the politically motivated unrest in Kenya changed the life of individuals, how people were forced to cope with the events, and how the effects of these reverberated long after peace returned. “The tragedy of wars and civil wars and the devastation that accompany them is exacerbated by the fact that the horror is always clothed in the end with random, disjointed figures. In the case of the Kenyan post-election violence: 1200 dead and 300,000 internally displaced persons. But what do these words and figures mean? Something Necessary personalises these faceless facts by showing the aftermath in the lives of two people who became inextricably and irreversibly linked by the violence of a single night and their search for healing and forgiveness.
Judy Kibinge works as a director, screenplay author and producer in Nairobi. She benefits benefits from her experience as Creative Director at McCann Erickson, one of the largest East African advertising agencies. Here, she supervised award-winning campaigns for international clients and brands from 1992 to 1999. When she left the advertising world, she dedicated her career to films on social issues.
Her first feature film, DANGEROUS AFFAIR, was set in the midst of an emerging urban area of Nairobi and is recognised as having triggered a wave of contemporary Kenyan films. This was followed in 2004 by PROJECT DADDY, a huge success, and the short film thriller KILLER NECKLACE, based on a graphic novel. Several of her documentaries have been nominated for Best Film at the African Movie Academy Awards. Her short film COMING OF AGE received this award.
When: Tuesday 12 April 2016 -19:15
Venue: Goethe-Institut, Windhoek
Language: Swahili with English subtitles
Entry: Free of charge
