A new Kenyan / US film, Taharuki (Suspense), completed in February this year has been
accepted into the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which runs in Durban, South
Africa from 21 July to 1 August.
The film’s US-based director Ekwa Musangi-Omari has also been selected to participate
in the Durban FilmMart (DFM), which runs alongside DIFF, with a another project called
Children of the Sand.
Taharuki is a 12-minute film in Kiswahili with English subtitles. Musangi-Omari says the
message of the film is uplifting. “It shows two young people struggling together during
a very tense time.’
The film is set against the backdrop of the devastating post-election violence in Kenya in
2008 that left tens of thousands of Kenyans homeless, traumatised or dead. It is the
fictional account of a man and woman from opposing ethnic tribes who work for an
underground liberation movement that aims to expose a child-trafficking cartel.
Taharuki was written, directed and produced by Musangi-Omari, and co-produced by Kia
Barbee with two consulting producers, Inna Braude and Ela Thier.
Told in the drama / thriller genre, the film was entirely shot in Brooklyn, New York even
though the story is set in Kenya. This accomplishment excites the writer and director,
who says: “It was a bit of creative genius that came together to make that happen
believably and I’m happy to say that our team pulled it off.’
She explains that due to the size of the budget, everyone worked “pro-bono’ and the
location was also donated for one day. Demanding shooting situations included having
exactly 12 hours to turn a tiny nursery school into an underground hideout and child-
trafficking warehouse, with 30 scheduled shots and three-hours of make-up.
There are only three roles in the film and they are played by US-based Kenyan actors:
Miriam Chemmoss, Gilbert Owuor and Chris Kamau.
Screenings continue worldwide, including at Universal Studios in Los Angeles as part of
Women in Film International’s spotlight on Kenyan film; at the Sistah’s Doing it For
Themselves screening series; and at the 18th New York African Film Festival.
Musangi-Omari has over 20 short films and documentaries under her belt. She also
created the 13-part (one hour) series, The Agency, for pay-TV broadcaster M-Net. Set
in the world of advertising the series has screened all over Africa.
Her other notable project Weakness (15-minutes; 2009) is a short film about two
brothers, a recovering alcoholic and an award-winning writer. It was nominated for a
2010 Kalasha Award for Best Supporting Actor and a 2011 AMAA award for Best Short
Film.
Musangi-Omari’s production company is called E.Pic Film Production. She divides her time
between New York and Nairobi and has a BFA in Film / TV Production and an MA in
African Cinema from New York University.
