SHIMONI

Kenya
2022

Director: Angela Wanjiku Wamai

Language: Kikuyu (Gikuyu), Swahili, English

Geoffrey, 35, is released from prison after seven years. He is whisked away to Shimoni – a sleepy village in rural Kenya where he stays in the local Catholic church compound. Quickly the village starts to morph into a new prison. He sleeps in a tiny shack and has to do menial farm work. Geoffrey never leaves the church compound. He can’t – something beyond its walls terrifies him. Then, one Sunday after church mass, Geoffrey sees a man with a white patch of hair. Petrified, he pees his pants, and in a moment of rage, kills a calf. The monster has found him in his hiding place.

Screenings

22 July | 14:15 | Suncoast 6
27 July | 17:30 | Suncoast 7

Credits

Director

Angela Wanjiku Wamai

Producer

Wangechi Ngugi

Screenplay

Angela Wanjiku Wamai

Cinematography

Andrew Mungai

Cast

Justin Mirichii, Sam Psenjen, Vivian Wambui, Muthoni Gathecha, Idris Fadhil, Daniel Njoroge, Gitura Kamau

Runtime

97 min

Angela Wanjiku Wamai

Angela Wanjiku Wamai (1980s, Kenya) studied film at La Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV), in Havana, Cuba and works as a film editor in Nairobi. She loves to edit documentaries because it allows her to observe human beings and get paid to do it. She was recently awarded best film editor by the Women in Film awards-Kenya. In 2017 she wrote, I Had to Bury Cũcũ, a short film, that premiered at the Clermont Ferrand international short film festival and has continued a successful festival run. Her directorial debut was ‘Dad, Are you Ok?’ A short film that premiered at the International female film festival in Malmö. Angela is oddly drawn to stories about broken men. She is also a typical melancholic and is often very aware of the hurt and pain around her. However, this melancholic nature is accompanied by a great sense of humour. This weird mix has influenced how she tells stories, she is always trying to lighten the dark worlds of her films with humour. She continues to edit and is trying to find her place between the editing bench and the director’s monitor. Shimoni (The Pit) is her feature directorial debut.
DIFF 2023

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