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  • “Homosexuality Is Not Un–African; What Is Un–African Is Homophobia”: An Interview with Wanuri Kahiu on Jambula Tree
  • Olivier Barlet (bio)
Olivier Barlet (OB):

What is it like for you to be part of the Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde here at the Cannes Film Festival?1

Wanuri Kahiu (WK):

It’s such an honor being part of the Cinémas du Monde Pavilion a second time. It’s a privilege because I didn’t think that I would be invited back. This time, the program is much more devoted to developing projects than before, with the main emphasis on projects and development, and finding coproducers or sales agents, even writing residencies.

OB:

Do you get to interact with professional and talented people?

WK:

Yes, in different areas: producers, sales agents, distributors to whom you pitch your projects. It’s a very firm foundation for figuring out first and foremost whether your script works. And we had the honor of meeting Raoul Peck, who was the patron of the Fabrique this year, and who reviewed our projects and gave us candid one-on-one advice on how to improve them. This was fantastic. And also having conversations about whether or not a film is commercial, if it has legs, because often you start a project and you don’t know, because you are isolated. We met people who gave us feedback, and people who are interested in working with us to develop projects—it’s something you can’t find in Kenya.

OB:

Your producer is Steven Markovitz in South Africa: why not use a producer in Kenya?

WK:

Steven was my executive producer on Pumzi (2009), my short film. After that, I really wanted to keep working with him, and I remember I was in Berlin at the [Berlin International Film Festival], and I asked him and he agreed. It was a blessing that we both thought we could continue our relationship. And because of our prolific years of working at different things, it [End Page 186] was a great opportunity to team up. And I think that having two people, from two different countries actually makes a project stronger, because it’s not just making film; it feels important to grow the industry on the Continent. To have somebody like Steven believe in my projects is a remarkable treat.

OB:

You produce films on the one hand, you direct films on the other: how do you manage wearing these two caps?

WK:

Actually, I have only produced one short film in the African Metropolis Short Films Project, Homecoming (2013), by Jim Chuchu. I really believed in his talent as a filmmaker. Very few filmmakers have the opportunity to go far enough with their projects. Jim wants to continue to make films. It is a privilege to help him, but my passion is to write and direct films.

OB:

In this film, you tackle a delicate theme of love between two women. Why did you choose this subject?

WK:

When Steven said that he’d like us to work together, we decided to adapt a short story. We chose “Jambula Tree” [by Monica Arac de Nyeko from Uganda], which won the Caine Prize for short stories in 2007.2 My first and foremost concern was to find a love story. This is what I wanted to do. When I came across “Jambula Tree”—because of the texture and nuances, the profound love that the main characters had for each other—I wanted to tell this story. Even though it’s a hard subject because it’s taboo—two girls falling in love with each other in a country where this is outlawed—it was very important for me to tell a love story because that’s what it is: how true love can triumph above everything. And I think, having been in many situations in my own life, the most courageous thing that anyone can do is to choose true love above all else. And I think it takes a special kind of ability to choose true love that is difficult, instead of what is expected.

OB:

Are there other films about this subject made in Kenya...

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