2022,a year of which the Kenyan Film, TV, and Theatre industry has been filled with achievements that put the Entertainment sector on the spotlight like never before
Here are some of the biggest 2022 moments in the Kenyan Entertainment industry of 2022
1.THREE KENYAN FILMS PREMIER AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The TIFF is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually.
This year three Kenyan Films premiered at the festival
- SHIMONI
A film about a teacher newly released from prison renegotiates the confines of the physical world while forced to face his nightmares in the flesh
- BABA
‘BABA’ follows a six year old boy living in the outskirts of Nairobi uses an unusual ability to escape a harsh reality
- FREE MONEY
‘FREE MONEY’ follows an experimental funded by the charity GiveDirectly in which residents of the Kenyan village of Kogutu over the age of 18 can opt to receive a universal basic income of $22 per month for the test period of 12 years
2.THE LAUNCH OF KENYA’S FIRST NETFLIX SERIES ‘COUNTRY QUEEN’
Released on July 15, Country Queen created quite a buzz as the first Kenyan series on Netflix with a star studded cast consisting of; Melissa Kiplagat, Melvin Alusa, Nini Wacera and many more.
The series ended up becoming the most watched Netflix show in Kenya 3 weeks in a row acquiring Three nominations at the Zikomo Awards and Six nominations at the Kalasha Awards
3.’NGAAHIKA NDEENDA’ (I WILL MARRY WHEN I WANT) MAKES A STAGE COMEBACK AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS
Written by Ngūgī wa Thiong’o and Ngūgī wa Miiri,the then banned play ‘Ngaahika Ndeenda’ covers post-colonial themes of class struggle, poverty, gender, culture, religion, modernity vs tradition, marriage and family
The play was staged at the Kenya National Theatre on May and October directed by the award winning Director Stuart Nash
4.NAIROBI HALF LIFE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
Released on the 19th of July 2012 at the Durban Film Festival, Nairobi Half Life stood out to become a massive success
Directed by Tosh Gitonga, the film won several accolades at the Durban International Film Festival, African Movie Academy Awards and the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
5.’CLICK CLICK BANG’ MAKES 2.5 MILLION IN IT’S OPENING WEEKEND
Directed by Philip Karanja alongside Michael Munyoki and written by Abel Mutua, Click Click Bang was released on July 15 to a groundbreaking opening weekend gathering a sum of 2.5 million ksh starring Basil Mungai, Nyakundi Isaboke, Shigwan Shiqo, Amina Hussein, Jacky Vike, Idah Alisha.
6. ‘THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NAIROBI’ ANNOUNCED TO PREMIER IN 2023
African streaming service Showmax, in partnership with NBCUniversal Formats, is bringing The Real Housewives to Nairobi. The Real Housewives of Nairobi, which will debut in 2023 as a Showmax Original, is the 22nd international version of The Real Housewives format and the sixth to be adapted in Africa.
7. ‘DISCONNECT 2’ AND MUSIC SERIES ‘VOLUME’ COMMISSIONED BY NETFLIX
Both directed by Tosh Gitonga, ‘Disconnect 2’ and the now in production ‘Volume’ series were commissioned by Netflix this year
Starring Pascal Tokodi and Catherine Kamau-Karanja, ‘Disconnect: The Wedding Planner’ is to be released on the 13th of January 2023
8. SHOWMAX POLITICAL THRILLER ‘COUNTY 49’ BREAKS STREAMING RECORD ON THE PLATFORM
The critically acclaimed Showmax TV show COUNTY 49 broke a record of the most viewed series on the first day of it’s release
Directed by Likarion Wainaina and starring Peter Kawa, Nyokabi Macharia and Wakio Mzenge, the series acquired Five nominations at the Kalasha Awards
9. ‘MPAKANI’, KENYA’S FIRST MILITARY SERIES LAUNCHED
From the creators of the highly acclaimed film ‘Mission to Rescue’,Foxton Media and KBC Kenya launched the first military series on the 28th of November
10. ‘TERASTORM’ KENYA’S FIRST SUPERHERO ANIMATION FILM SUBMITTED FOR THE OSCARS
Directed by Andrew Kaggia and featuring voice artists; Ali Mwangola, Arabron Nyyneque, Melvin Alusa, Mungai Kiroga, Sarah Muhoho and Peter Mudamba, TERASTORM premiered in theaters on the 24th of November
The animated film was later submitted for the Oscars making it the first superhero animation to ever be submitted to the awards
11. KENYA’S FIRST CHRISTMAS FEATURE FILM RELEASED
On December 15, the streaming platform Showmax released Kenya’s first Christmas Feature Film ‘A FAMILIAR CHRISTMAS’
Directed by Reuben Odanga and starring Maureen Kunga and Pascal Tokodi, the film follows a family spending Christmas together for the first time in three years but plans for a loving holiday are disrupted when secrets and a meddling mother wreaks havoc on her household
12. ‘TOO EARLY FOR BIRDS’ MAKES A MUCH ANTICIPATED COMEBACK
Too Early for Birds is a series of Kenyan theatre shows that stages diverse stories from Kenyan history. Founded in early 2017 by Kenyan performers Abu Sense and Ngartia, the show and its title were inspired by the work of historian and blogger Owaahh.
The much anticipated sixth edition took place on the weekend of 4th, 5th and 6th November 2022 after a two year hiatus with a total of five shows at the Jain Bhavan Auditorium in Loresho
With these and more having been archieved in 2022, fans around the country hope for more record breaking contents next year
Sources; Sinema focus ke, IMDB, Wikipedia
