Lusala

Lusala is a 2019 Kenyan drama film written by Silas Miami, Wanjeri Gakuru and Oprah Oyugi, and directed by Mugambi Nthiga on his directorial debut.[1] The film stars Brian Ogola, Alyce Wangari, Stycie Waweru, Mkamzee Mwatela and Alan Oyugi in the lead roles. The film is based on the life of a 22 year old young man Lusala, who is caught between his personal mental health issues and his sibling affection. The film had its initial release in Kenya on 6 June 2019 during the NBO Film Festival and was also screened at few other international film festivals.[2]

Lusala
Directed byMugambi Nthiga
Produced byTom Tykwer
Marie Steinmann
Sarika Hemi Lakhani
Ginger Wilson
Guy Wilson
Screenplay bySilas Miami
Wanjeri Gakuru
Oprah Oyugi
StarringBrian Ogola
Alyce Wangari
Stycie Waweru
Music byEric Wainaina
Rushab Nadha
Mbogua Mbugua Mbugua
Production
company
One Fine Day Films
Ginger Ink Films
Distributed byRushlake Media
Release date
  • 6 June 2019 (2019-06-06)
Running time
65 minutes
CountryKenya
Germany
LanguageEnglish
Swahili

Cast

Synopsis

Lusala (Brian Ogola), a young man who is rescued from his abusive alcoholic father and moves in with an affluent family in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. His uncle Onesmus (Alan Oyugi) and his aunt Beatrice (Mkamzee Mwatela) adopted him from thr rural Kenya about twelve years ago. They raised him together with their only daughter Joma (Alyce Wangari). Once when Beatrice comes to know about the sibling affection of Lusala towards Joma, she requests her husband to guide Lusala to start a life on his own will. Lusala soon obtains a job and moves into an apartment in Nairobi quite close to his workplace with the help of his uncle. Things turn swiftly as Lusala's younger sister Bakhita (Stycie Waweru) who was in a boarding school figures out the flat where Lusala lives.[3]

Production

The film director made his directorial debut through this project who returned to Kenya after enrolling in Film Academy Baden-Württemberg for a brief period of five months.[1] The film was jointly produced by German production studio company One Fine Day Films and Ginger Ink Films Africa.[4] The project was also funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Release

The film was initially released on 6 June 2019 at the 3rd edition of the Nairobi Film Festival and opened to positive reviews from critics.[2][5] The film was also selected to be premiered in few other film festivals. It was also premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on 27 January 2020 and also had its premiere at the Göteborg Film Festival in Sweden on 31 January 2020.[6][7]

It was also screened at the Toronto Black Film Festival on 16 February 2020 and it was also selected to be premiered at the Montreal International Black Film Festival in September 2020.[8][9][10] The film was also screened at the 2020 Durban International Film Festival.[11] It was also streamed via Showmax on 17 December 2020.[12][13]

Awards and nominations

The film also received few awards and nominations at few international film festivals. In November 2020, the film notably won the Rimbaud Award at the Les Rimbaud du Cinéma festival which was held at the world's oldest active cinema in France.[14]

Year Award Category Result
2019 Kalasha Awards Best Feature Film Nominated
Best Lead Actor Nominated
2020 Durban International Film Festival Best Film Nominated
2020 Les Rimbaud du Cinéma Rimbaud Award Won

References
  1. "Mugambi Nthiga makes his directorial debut with 'Lusala' at NBO Film Fest and it's a mega hit - The Sauce". www.capitalfm.co.ke. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  2. "NBO Film Festival returns to bring the Kenyan audience a selection of Afro-Caribean films and more - The Sauce". www.capitalfm.co.ke. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  3. Lusala, retrieved 2020-12-24
  4. "MOVIES". onefinedayfilms (in German). Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  5. June 13 2019, Thursday. "'Lusala' wows movie goers at film festival". Business Daily. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  6. "Lusala | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  7. "Hem". Göteborg Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  8. "LUSALA". Toronto Black Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  9. Canada, Wakenya (2020-09-28). "Kenyan film Lusala featuring at Canada's largest Black Film Festival". Wakenya Canada. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  10. "LUSALA". Festival International du Film black de Montréal. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  11. "Lusala – Durban Film Festival". Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  12. Chege, Kimani (2020-12-17). "Kenyan film Lusala debuts on Showmax today". The254Hub. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  13. https://www.the-star.co.ke/authors/tk. "Kenyan film 'Lusala' coming to Showmax on Thursday". The Star. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  14. "African films and series that made waves internationally in 2020". The South African. 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
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