Stories of our Lives, a movie made up of five short films which are
based on true Kenyan LGBT stories, is the opening film at the new LGBTI film
festival hosted by the Bioscope Independent Cinema in partnership with the Goethe
Institut, in Johannesburg. The festival, “Not Gay as in Happy, Queer as in Fuck You’
runs from 28 May to 3 June and features a line-up of impactful LGBT themed films.
Stories of our Lives is a project by the Nairobi-based arts group, the
Nest Collective. The film sparked controversy when the Kenya Film Classification
Board would not allow it to be distributed or screened in Kenya, where
homosexuality is considered a crime. Members of the production team originally
chose to remain anonymous fearing arrest, until the film premiered at the Toronto
International Film Festival in 2014 and three members – Jim Chuchu, George
Gachara and Njoki Ngumi – revealed their identities. Stories of our
Lives featured at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it won a
Jury Prize from the Teddy Award jury, and took second place in the Panorama
Audience Award.
This film features on 28 May at 20h00 and 1 June at 19h30.
Watch the Stories of our Lives trailer.
The following films also feature at the festival, which has been curated by Dean
Hutton and Darryl Els.
Stud Life – 29 May 19h00
Watch the trailer.
Out in the Night (Screens with Thembilihle Sokhela) – 29
May 21h00
Watch the trailer.
I am Divine – 30 May 20h00
Watch the trailer.
Memoirs of a Killarney Houseboy (Screens with Just
Then) – 30 May 22h00
Regarding Susan Sontag – 31 May 15h00
Watch the trailer.
Different from the Others (Screens with Thrush) – 31
May 17h00
Skoonheid – 31 May 19h30
Watch the trailer.
One Zero One – 2 June 19h00
Watch the trailer
Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf? – 2 June 21h30
Watch the trailer
Salvation Army – 3 June 19h00
Watch the trailer
Dakan – 3 June 21h00
Watch the trailer
Visit the Bioscope website for more
information.
