On February 3, the Kenyan film collection on Netflix will begin streaming the Mbithi Masya-directed Kenyan film Kati Kati.
Kaleche (Nyokabi Gethaiga), a young amnesiac who wakes up in the midst of the forest with no memory of how she got there, is the focus of the 2016 film.
She travels to the nearby lodge, Kati Kati, where she encounters a ragtag group of occupants led by Thoma. As Kaleche quickly and closely bonds with him, she learns that there is much more to both Thoma and the enigmatic Kati Kati.
This was the director Masya’s first foray into film, despite the fact that his music videos have been featured everywhere from The New York Times to Fader to Huffington Post. Masya gained fame as one-third of the cult Kenyan band Just A Band.
“It seems like we made this forever ago. Masya expressed her reaction to the news, “I’m still incredibly proud of it and thankful to everyone who helped bring it to the screen.
Its subsequent six international accolades, including the Prize of the International Federation of Picture Critics at Toronto and Best East African Film, AMVC, make it an impressive debut for a first film.
Elsaphan Njora, the film’s main actor, is a well-known multi-talented Kenyan artist who is best recognized for his spoken word and acting.
He is the creator of EOPNATION, a spoken word event that has been going on for nine years and takes place in Nairobi every third Friday. His first notable television appearance came from the series Briefcase Inc., which followed two young Nairobi men as they hustled their way through life.
Gethaiga, the female lead, is an actress well known for her work on the critically praised Nairobi Half Life and Going Bongo (2015). (2012).
Awarded the New Voices/New Visions Award Special Mention at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Filmpris at the CinemAfrica Film Festival in Stockholm, and the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the 2017 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, Kati Kati has screened at over 40 festivals worldwide.
