Lusala

Mugambi Nthiga, Kenya/Germany, 2019

61 minutes, English with English subtitles

Lusala (22) is a young man who lives and works in two very separate parts of Nairobi. His uncle and aunt, Onesmus and Beatrice (late 40’s), adopted him twelve years ago from rural Kenya, and raised him together with their daughter Joma (17). When Lusala and Joma’s unabashed sibling affection raises concerns with Beatrice, she imposes on her husband to make Lusala move out and start life on his own. With his uncle’s help, and with Joma’s moral support, Lusala moves into a flat closer to his garage workplace. Days later, Lusala’s youngest sister Bakhita, who has been away in boarding school, runs away and unexpectedly shows up at his flat. Word reaches Onesmus that Bakhita. The resulting confrontation reveals that Lusala’s mental state is fragile and in peril, and despite his family’s best intentions, one bigger, more ominous confrontation lies ahead.

DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Mugambi Nthiga is a writer/director from Kenya who co-wrote Kati Kati, a feature film which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2016 and was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize. It went on to win several internationally acclaimed awards. In 2017, he co-wrote Supa Modo, a family film directed by Likarion Wainaina, which premiered at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival 2018, and was awarded a Special Mention from the Generation Kplus Jury.

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