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Soul Boy
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Wikipedia article
'Soul Boy' is a 2010 Kenyan drama film, written by Billy Kahora and directed by Hawa Essuman. It developed under the mentorship of German director and producer Tom Tykwer in Kibera, one of the largest slums in the African continent, in the middle of Nairobi, Kenya. The film has received five nominations at the 2011 African Movie Academy Awards.
The film originated in a workshop for young film enthusiasts from Nairobi, guided by German director Tom Tykwer.
Plot
Nairobi, Kenya. 14-year-old Abila lives with his parents in Kibera, one of the largest slums in East Africa. One morning the teenager discovers his father ill and delirious. Someone has stolen his soul, mumbles the father. Abila is shocked and confused but wants to help his father and goes in search of the right remedy. Supported by his girlfriend Shiku, he embarks on an adventurous journey that leads him right to the heart of the microcosm that is his hometown.
Cast
*Samson Odhiambo
*Leila Dayan Opou
*Krysteen Savane
*Frank Kimani
*Joab Ogolla
*Lucy Gachanja
*Katherine Damaris
*Kevin Onyango Omondi
*Calvin Shikuku Odhiambo
*Nordeen Abdulghani
Awards
*Dioraphte Audience Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam[http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/ Dioraphte Audience Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam]
*Veto Award, Afrika-Filmfestival, Leuven, Belgium
*Signis Award, Zanzibar International Film Festival, Zanzibar, Tanzania[http://www.ziff.or.tz/2010/winners Signis Award, Zanzibar International Film Festival]
*Polish Filmmakers Association Award, Ale Kino!, Pozna, Poland
*Best Short Film, Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya[http://www.kalashaawards.co.ke/nominees.html Best Short Film, Kalasha Awards]
*Best Lead Actor: Samson Odhiambo, Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya[http://www.kalashaawards.co.ke/nominees.html Best Lead Actor, Kalasha Awards]
*Best Scriptwriter: Billy Kahora, Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya[http://www.kalashaawards.co.ke/nominees.html Best Scriptwriter, Kalasha Awards]
*Best Actor: Samson Odhiambo, Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya[http://www.kifftrust.org/awards2010.php Kenya International Film Festival: Best Actor]
*Best East African Film, Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya[http://www.kifftrust.org/awards2010.php Kenya International Film Festival: Best East African Film]
*Special Mention "Passeurs dimages" prize, FESTIVAL CIN JUNIOR (International Film Festival for Young people), Paris, France
*The Young Jury Prize, FESTIVAL CIN JUNIOR (International Film Festival for Young people), Paris, France
*Spiritual Film Festival Award, Paris
*Best Children's Film Award at the Film Festival Recklinghausen (Germany) 2011[http://www.kirchliches-filmfestival.de/programm/index.html Best Children's Film, Film Festival Recklinghausen]
*Best Editor: Ephantus Ng'ethe Gitungo, African Movie Academy Awards[http://www.ama-awards.com/amaa-nominees-and-winners-2011 Best Editor, African Movie Academy Awards]
Festivals
Germany
:2010: Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale)[http://www.berlinale.de/de/archiv/jahresarchive/2010/02_programm_2010/02_Filmdatenblatt_2010_20105906.php Berlinale Generation 2010: Soul Boy]International
;2010:2010: Gothenburg Film Festival[http://www.giff.se/publik/festivalen/studio-draken/reportage-soul-boy.html Gothenburg Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010: International Film Festival Rotterdam[http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/professionals/films/soul-boy/ International Film Festival Rotterdam: Soul Boy]
:2010: Afrika-Filmfestival[http://www.afrikafilmfestival.be/ Afrika Filmfestival 2010 in Leuven, Belgium: Soul Boy]
:2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival[http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk Edinburgh International Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 Durban International Film Festival[http://www.ukzn.ac.za/cca/Durban_International_Film_Festival.htm Durban International Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 Sydney Film Festival[http://tix.sff.org.au/session2.asp?sn=Soul+Boy Sydney Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 Cinemafrica Stockholm[http://cinemafrica.se/sv/aktuella-filmvisningar/168-cinemafrica-co-hotel-hellsten-under-stockholms-foersta-kulturnatt Cinemafrica Stockholm: Soul Boy]
:2010 Nairobi, Kenya Premiere
:2010 African Film Festival Tarifa[http://www.fcat.es/FCAT_en/ African FF Tarifa]
:2010 Sydney Film Festival[http://tix.sff.org.au/session2.asp?sn=Soul+Boy Sydney Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 Festival du Cinma Africain de Khouribga[http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201007190419.html Khouribga Maroc: Soul Boy]
:2010 Seoul Intl Youth Film Festival[http://www.siyff.com Seoul Intl Youth FF]
:2010 Montreal World Film Festival[http://www.ffm-montreal.org/liste_reg_ang.html Montreal World FF]
:2010 Cinemas D'Afrique[http://www.cine-afrique.ch/un-transport-en-commun---soul-boy-fr102.html Cinemas D'Afrique: Soul Boy]
:2010 Cambridge Film Festival[http://www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk/films/2010/soul-boy/ Cambridge Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 Montreal Intl Black Film Festival[http://www.montrealblackfilm.com/festival2010_en.html Montreal Intl Black Film Festival]
:2010 Films From the South OSLO[http://www.filmfrasor.no/filmbase/2010/soul-boy Films From the South Oslo: Soul Boy]
:2010 Hamptons Intl Film Festival[http://hamptonsfilmfest.org/ Hamptons Intl Film Festival]
:2010 Warsaw Film Festival[http://www.wff.pl/ Warsaw Film Festival]
:2010 Carlow African Film Festival[http://www.carlowafricanfilmfestival.com/ Carlow African Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 Discovery Film Festival[http://www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk Discovery Film Festival]
:2010 Chicago Intl Children's Film Festival[http://www.cicff.org/ Chicago Intl Children's Film Festival]
:2010 Carthage Film Festival[http://www.jccarthage.org/index_eng.php Carthage Film Festival]
:2010 African Diaspora Film Festival NY[http://nyadiff.org/ African Diaspora Film Festival]
:2010 Palm Springs Film Festival[http://www.psfilmfest.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=22375&FID=43 Palm Springs IFF: Soul Boy]
:2010 San Diego Black Film Festival[http://www.sandiegoblackfilmfestival.com/ San Diego Black Film Festival]
:2010 Adelaide Film Festival[http://tix.adelaidefilmfestival.org/session3.asp?sn=Soul+Boy Adelaide Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 FESPACO, Burkina Faso[http://www.fespaco-bf.net/ FESPACO]
:2010 Birds Eye View FF[http://www.birds-eye-view.co.uk/3213/developing-countries/soul-boy.html Birds Eye View Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 FEBIOFEST[http://www.febiofest.cz/cs/ FEBIOFEST]
:2010 Toronto IFF for children[http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/sprockets/2011/201102010041738 Toronto IFF for children: Soul Boy]
:2010 ReelWorld Film Festival[http://www.reelworld.ca/ ReelWorld Film Festival]
:2010 Ecrans Noirs - Cameroun[http://www.ecrans-noirs.org/ Ecrans Noirs]
:2010 Rwanda Film Festival[http://www.hillywood.org/ Rwanda Film Festival]
:2010 Zanzibar Film Festival, Tanzania[http://www.ziff.or.tz/films/soul-boy Zanzibar Film Festival: Soul Boy]
:2010 Zimbabwe International Film Festival
:2010 Kenya International Film Festival[http://www.kifftrust.org/ Kenya International Film Festival]
:2010 Amakula Kampala International FilmFestival, Uganda[http://www.amakula.com/ Amakula Kampala International FilmFestival]
:2010 Ethiopia Film Festival[http://www.ethiopianfilminitiative.org/directories/film-festivals-ethiopia/115-the-4th-ethiopian-international-film-festival- Ethiopia Film Festival]
:2010 Festival du film de Dakar, Senegal
:2010 Quintessence, Benin[http://www.festival-ouidah.org/Partenaires.htm Quintessence]
;2011
* Cinema Le Bretagne (France)[http://www.cinema-le-bretagne.org Cinema Le Bretagne]
* Plein La Bobine (France)[http://www.pleinlabobine.com Plein La Bobine]
* Addis Film Festival (Ethiopia)[http://www.addisfilmfestival.org Addis Film Festival]
* Chennai Women In Films Festival (India)[http://www.inkocentre.org Chennai Women In Films Festival]
* Fiuggi Family Festival (Italy)[http://www.fiuggifamilyfestival.org Fiuggi Family Festival]
* Salaam Festival (Denmark)[http://www.salaam.dk Salaam Festival]
* Cine Sparks Festival (Australia)[http://www.biff.com.au Cine Sparks Festival]
Reception
Critical response
Andrew Onyango reviewing for KenyaBuzz was mesmerized by how much "surreal" the world of the movie is, adding that the scripts use of Swahili strengthened the film's impact: "The Swahili speaking audience (particularly those exposed to the dialect being used) feel a powerful sense of identification. There is nothing like hearing it firsthand because the translation loses some of the impact of the words."References
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