Manyatta Mengi Mashariki: Shorts (Jali Film Weekender)

<b>This screening will have a 5-minute introduction, a short interval and a post-screening discussion with <i>Manyatta Mengi Mashariki</i> curator Hawa Essuman. All films will have English subtitles.</b> Curated by Hawa Essuman and Fibby Kioria of Manyatta Screenings, and Wanjeri Gakuru of Mengi Mengi Film Club from Kenya, this short film programme spotlights exciting new voices from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Reunion Island. <i>Manyatta Mengi Mashariki</i> offers fresh perspectives on the human condition across the genres of comedy, action and drama, this shorts programme approaches questions of identity, desire and mortality with warmth, bravery and fascinating interiority. <i>Manyatta Mengi Mashariki is presented as part of the British Council UK/Kenya Season collaboration with The Africa Centre and Jali Collective.</i> FILMS FEATURED: <b>Part 1</b> <b><i>Rolex</i></b> (Benon Mugumbya, Uganda, 2020, English, 15 min) Four men are up for a life-changing deal, but they must each overcome one common deadly obstacle, or lose everything. <b><i>Scalp Deep</i></b> (Naseeba Bagalaaliwo, Uganda, 2020, English, 7 min) (Animation) Scalp Deep examines a young African woman's journey as she braves the reactions and expectations of society after she decides to commit to a “drastic” new look. <b><i>Love & Brain</i></b> (Semagngeta Aychiluhem, Ethiopia, 2020, Amharic with English subtitles, 4 min) In a post-apocalyptic world, a hungry zombie is running for his life after a human scientist discovers the benefits of eating a zombie's brain. <b><i>Stero</i></b> (Tevin Kimathi & Millan Tarus, Kenya, 2024, English, Kiswahili, 13 min) With the heart of a warrior and an imaginary sensei by his side, Bruce attempts to defy the repressive Anglo-Western education system by becoming Stero – a badass hero. <b>Part 2</b> <b><i>Transaction</i></b> (Wanjeri Gakuru, Kenya, 2025, Kikuyu (Gikuyu), Swahili, English, 20 min) On the eve of her 25th birthday, resolved to finally lose her virginity, Waks embarks on a thrilling escapade to the city where she must confront the shame that has long burdened her. <b><i>An Ode to a Time I Loved Bread</i></b> (Neema Ngelime, Tanzania, 2021, English, Swahili, 11 min) Through a collage of memories, laying out the absurd, the silly, and the unforgivable, the filmmaker’s present self interrogates her past experiences at a colonial legacy boarding school. <b><i>Sèt Lam</i></b> (Vincent Fontano, Reunion Island, 2023, 23 min) In an insular city’s ghetto, in the midst of a trance ritual, a young girl is paralysed by fear, afraid her loved ones may be hurt or even disappear.PT2H40M182025-10-14
Benon Mugumbya (<i>Rolex</i>); Naseeba Bagalaaliwo (<i>Scalp Deep</i>); Semagngeta Aychiluhem (<i>Love & Brain</i>); Tevin Kimathi & Millan Tarus (<i>Stero</i>); Wanjeri Gakuru (<i>Transaction</i>); Neema Ngelime (<i>An Ode to a Time I Loved Bread</i>); Vincent Fontano (<i>Sèt Lam</i>)
Manyatta Mengi Mashariki: Shorts (Jali Film Weekender)"Manyatta Mengi Mashariki: Shorts (Jali Film Weekender)"

Showtimes

October 14, 5:30 pm

Filmhouse Cinema