From Saturday 21st October Cambridge Film Festival will host the Cambridge African Film Festival 2017.
Kati Kati directed by Kenyan Director Mbithi Masya will be the opening night film for Cambridge African Film Festival 2017. Following its success at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, where the film won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award for the Discovery programme.
Kati Kati explores the incredible journey of Kaleche who wakes up in the middle of the African wilderness, with no idea of how she got there. She makes her way to a lodge called Kati Kati – a type of purgatory, not heaven or hell, but somewhere in between – where souls find themselves with no explanation or reason. No one knows how the residents of this bleak and isolated location, surrounded by bushland, can ever leave. In this gathering of lost souls, each haunted by demons from their previous life, Kaleche begins to piece together the shards of her own life and the key to leaving Kati Kati.
Kaleche’s encounter with the other guests allows her to get to know a piece of herself and her past, the reasons why she ended up in a desolate land, surrounded by strangers and their stories.
Using magic realism and the suggestive atmosphere of a quirky oasis, Masya develops the intense, sometimes funny and sometimes melancholic footprint of an African tale that speaks of universal truths and plays with old fears and ancestral myths while exploring the painful reality of fragmented identities, broken strings, guilt and love.
A masterfully crafted script, musical rhythm and intimate photography, this poetic fantasy offers a dark reflection on personal atonement in the shadow of Kenya’s violent past.
Through its characters’ path of self-discovery and awareness, the director’s empathetic and lyrical script explores human relationships, mistakes and redemption thanks to Gethaiga’s, Njora’s and Ogola’s astounding performance.
Kati Kati is a gem of silent atonement and intense reflection which drags the audience into a journey of self-discovery, growth and acceptance. It’s a delicate and honest portrait of humanity and human bonds, a thorough canvas of feelings, mistakes and vulnerability, a world. To find out more about the Cambridge African Film Festival click here:
