RAFIKI: An Official Selection of the 2018 Inside Out Ottawa LGBT Film Festival

A love story between two young women (played by newcomers Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva) in a country where homosexuality is still illegal, Rafiki is saturated with joy, heartbreak, and a richly effervescent cinematography that showcases director Wanuri Kahiu’s native Nairobi in all its vibrancy. When Kena and Ziki first lock eyes, it’s a genuine coup de foudre despite the fact their families are political rivals. The young women grow close, but as they are not able to show their attraction in public — or even to their relatives and friends — they are forced to sneak small moments in private. Together they create their own world, vividly evoked through Kahiu’s cinematic eye, where their love isn’t anything other than an expression of their commitment to each other. The space they create, however, isn’t immune to the biases of the outside world.