BY TAMBAY A. OBENSON

I’m salivating over the Contemporary World Cinema section of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Several films whose production progress we’ve been following over the last 12 to 24 months will be screening at the festival (many making the World premieres) when it kicks off next month, September 5.

One of those projects is this one, produced by German filmmaker Tom Tykwer (Run Lola, Run, Perfume) via his alternative film production company, One Fine Day Films, which he co-founded in 2008 with his girlfriend/partner, Marie Steinmann, with the goal being to promote and support filmmaking for aspiring filmmakers in Nairobi (Kenya), with Nairobi-based producing partners Ginger Ink.  

S&A has covered every film that’s been developed under the One Fine Day Films banner – Soul Boy, from director Hawa Essuman (which had its official world premiere at the Göteborg International Film Festival inSweden, in February 2010; later screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, and the Africa Diaspora Film Festival here in New York, among others); and, most recently, the crime drama titled Nairobi Half Life, from director David Tosh Gitonga, which made its world premiere at the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa last month, where its star, Joseph Wairimu, won the Best Actor award, was generally very well received. We look for it to continue its film festival travels, and hopefully get a theatrical or at least home video, VOD release here in the USA.

The company’s upcoming 3rd feature film project, in collaboration with Ginger Ink, Something Necessary, scheduled to screen at TIFF next month, will introduce us to the talents of yet another Kenyan filmmaker, Judy Kibinge; although, for some familiar with her work, it’ll be more like a re-introduction, because she’s made 2 feature films already – one in 2002 titled Dangerous Affair, and the other in 2004 titled Project Daddy. Unfortunately, neither appears to be readily available for rent or purchase here in the USA… yet.

From a screenplay written by Mungai Kiroga and JC Niala, the synopsis for Something Necessary reads:

SOMETHING NECESSARY is an intimate moment in the life of Anne, a woman struggling to rebuild her life after the civil unrest that swept Kenya after the 2007 elections claiming the life of her husband, the health of her son and leaving her home on an isolated farm in the Kenyan countryside in ruins. Once a nurse, with a solid career and loving family, she now has nothing but her resolve to rebuild her life left. Joseph, a troubled young gang member who participated in the countrywide violence is drawn to Anne and her farm seemingly in search of redemption. Both he and Anne need something that only the other can give to allow them to shed the painful memories of their past and move on – but will either of them find it?

Tom Tykwer, Marie Steinmann, Sarika Lakhani, Ginger Wilson & Guy Wilson are all listed as producers on the film, set to screen at TIFF next month.

But congrats to director Kibinge and company; Zeba will be covering TIFF for S&A this year, so hopefully this is one she’ll be able to see (there’s so much for us this year!) and review.

Here’s the film’s first trailer: