By Steven Anderson Wekesa
After
the successful production of Nairobi Half
Life (2012), it seems like the local film industry is prepared for yet
another crime thriller by the celebrated Canadian producer and director Neil
Schell who has over the last few years become a household name within the
Kenyan TV and film fraternity. A pregnant cloud of ambition and expectations
has recently rented the Kenyan film airwaves starting with the successful shoot
of a movie titled House of Lungula by
Historia Films which promises to bring Kenyan bedroom scenes and drama to your
screens, to now talk of the city adaptation of John Kiriamiti’s crime series Jack Zollo- My Life in Crime; a production that is set to cost well over Kshs.
300M.
Many
questions have been raised as to whether the producers of this film will
deliver in making the movie as real and captivating as the novel is, whether or
not the movie will glorify crime and celebrate criminals and finally whether or
not the cast will meet the expectations of the anticipating audiences. For fear
of not being a prophet of doom, I will not comment on any of the aforementioned
questions, but of course I will wait and see the final production; in the
meantime, I will fast and pray for Neil and his team not to disappoint.
Sunday
14th April, 2013 will however remain a dreary day in my life as a
passionate film enthusiast and a Kenyan patriot who believes in my fellow
actors’ ability to be molded in to any role. After many months of speculation
and consolation, the truth hit me hard like labour pain when it was confirmed
that Jim Iyke (a Nollywood actor, producer and musician) would be playing the
lead role of Jack Zollo in the soon
to be shot crime thriller. This news spoilt my evening and I am certain, that
of a bunch of Kenyan actors, whose bread and butter is being in front of a
camera. The major reason for this growing and careless trend is in the hope
that Jim Iyke will give the film an international and regional appeal
(according to its producers). Only time will tell.
First Grader (2011)
terribly failed in creating believability when Naomie Harris played the role of
a local teacher Jane. This is due to the fact that she would not connect with
her environment and certainly she had no idea of how a typical Kenyan community
interacts. I can confidently say the same about Rita Dominic who acted as
Keziah in Shattered (2012) directed
by the multi talented Gilbert Lukalia. With the hope of giving a film an
international or regional look and appeal, all these films have failed compared
to Nairobi Half Life (2012) whose
purely local talent gave it an authenticity that no other film has ever
achieved. I am yet to know how much Shattered
grossed in sales but I can bet it is nothing close to what NHL has.
In
my opinion, not only is it unethical and disrespectful to hire a “foreigner” to
play the role of one of the most popular Kenyan “criminals,” I find it absurd
that Jim Iyke is this foreigner. This can only be compared to Tom Cruise as
Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg, a German official ordered to assassinate Hitler
in Valkryie (2008). It is argued that
even Stauffenberg's son couldn't believe this casting choice. Not only is Jim
Iyke an overrated “bad boy” but I strongly believe he is not any better an
actor than our own Peter King, Ainea Ojiambo, Maina Olwenya, Mwaura Bilal, Melvin
Alusa, Makbul Mohammed or “Master Sugu” (the thug in Tausi). I am of a strong opinion that he will not deliver just like
he has failed to in many other Nigerian movies that I have watched. Apart from
the fact that he is not always as believable in his body language, his Black
American accent will be a major factor in his failure if he decides not to shed
it and speak like John Kiriamiti. The directors have to work extremely hard to
deliver on Jim’s acting.
With
this growing trend of foreigners being featured as principal casts in Kenyan
movies, what then are the roles of Kenya Film and Television Professionals
Association (KFTPA) and Actors Guild? Among the main objectives of these two
bodies is to see to it that Kenyan actors and the film industry grow. I believe
this growth monster is through exposing Kenyan actors and actresses to well
funded movies that will raise their profiles. As much as producers have the
final decision to choose who to hire, isn’t it rather disappointing that they
do not have faith in our own talents? As if this is not enough, these
foreigners will by design win the most coveted titles at the expense of Kenyans
like was the case in Kalasha 2012 where Rita Dominic won the Best Actress
Award. How and when will Kenya boast of having bankable actors and actresses
when such an opportunity is passing them? All in all, I wish to see the final
film meet the hype that it has so far created in the local industry. I have so
much respect and admiration for the author of this book and the last thing I
will want to see is the director waste the genius in John Kiriamiti.
The writer is a film critic and lecturer at the Department
of Theatre Arts and Film Technology in Kenyatta University with a passion for
Cinematography and Theatre & Film Criticism.
