After three successful screenings at the 20th Annual Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, the South African produced film Inside Story from the non-profit Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership was awarded Special Jury Recognition in the Feature Narrative category this week.
After debuting on World AIDS Day 2011 in Johannesburg and last month in Washington, DC, Inside Story’s 11 February premiere at the Pan African Film Festival marked its first public screening.
Hailed by LA Weekly as “a rousing success’, the film stars Kevin Ndege Mamboleo (Changing Times) as Kalu, a gifted footballer who moves from rural Kenya to urban Johannesburg to follow his dream and support his family. His path becomes more challenging when he falls in love with the coach’s daughter, Ify (Kendra Etufunwa), and subsequently finds out he is HIV-positive. Newcomers Mamboleo and Etufunwa (Jacob’s Cross) are joined by international stars including Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Hotel Rwanda, 24) and Fana Mokoena (Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda).
Directed by Rolie Nikiwe (Tsha Tsha, The Lab, Intersexions), Inside Story is a truly pan African project – produced by Curious Pictures South Africa, filmed in South African and Kenya and featuring actors and actresses from across the continent. The film also distinguishes itself by combining a compelling narrative with realistic CGI animations that take the viewer into the body to demonstrate the science of HIV in a personal, practical and memorable way.
Produced with the support of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Chevron, Discovery Communications, Access Bank, the South African Department of Trade and Industry, SEACOM and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership plans a comprehensive rollout of the film – including national broadcasts across sub-Saharan Africa and distribution through grassroots efforts of NGOs, schools and governments – later this year. The trailer for the film and regular updates on the project can be found at insidestorythemovie.org and facebook.com/insidestory.
The Pan African Film Festival is America’s largest and most prestigious international Black film festival. In its 20th year, the Festival featured 170 films, representing 30 countries, spanning narratives and documentaries.
