Ginger Ink

Abila (14) lives in one of the most miserable slums in Africa. His girlfriend Shiku belongs to a different tribe, as the result of which he is not really allowed to fraternize with her. And then one drunken night his father gambles away his own soul.

Bereft of earthly memories, a new arrival in the afterlife struggles to recover the past, in this poetic fantasy that offers a dark reflection on personal atonement in the shadow of Kenya’s violent past. Imagine waking up one day in a barren wasteland. Amnesia leaves you clueless as to your whereabouts, your identity, and how you arrived. A small group of strangers welcomes you to a nearby oasis resort, and they reveal to you the nature of this new reality. You are dead. And this is the afterlife. This is what happens to Kaleche (Nyokabi Gethaiga) in the enigmatic opening sequence of Kati Kati, writer-director Mbithi Masya's poetic first feature film.

Mwas, a young aspiring actor from upcountry Kenya dreams of becoming an accomplished actor one day, and in pursuit of this, he makes his way to Nairobi, the city of opportunity. He quickly understands why Nairobi is nicknamed Nairrobery as he is bereaved of all his money and belongings and left alone in a city where he doesn’t know a soul. Luck or the lack of it brings Mwas face to face with the city’s criminals and forms a friendship with a small time crook who takes him in. He is quickly drawn into a world of crime as he struggles to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Keeping the two worlds separate proves to be a challenge for Mwas as he steps into this unknown world called Nairobi.