PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Wanuri Kahiu,director of the filmRafiki.
Rafiki is definitely the feminine and feminist Manifesto of this year’s Festival de Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Section. A colorful and hopeful love story between two teenage girls in the homophobic Kenyan society where even religion is not accepting diversity and same sex couples. Rafiki is also a coming of age story and a tale of independence that teaches us that only by deeply loving someone else we can learn more about ourselves and the power of our dreams. In Wanuri Kahiu’s opinion, for the themes it depicts, Rafiki‘s not only important for its impact on the Festival de Cannes but also for its effects on Kenyan and African society.
Rafiki: “Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.
For the page of the film on the Festival website, click here.
"A Dan in Vain" by Lee Hong-Chi is a powerful glimpse into Shanghai lost hopes, capturing young artists' internal struggles and societal pressures with minimal emotion.
"Director's Diary" by Aleksandr Sokurov is a film that reveals the personal diary of a director, between history, memory and the simple life of the Russian people, with a universal message.