THE CAST OF IGIZA TV SERIES STUN AT EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE

Showmax treated guests to an exclusive screening of the first episode of the new Kenyan Showmax Original thriller Igiza, unanimously hailed as a strong debut by all those present. 

Held at Nairobi Street Kitchen in Westlands, the event was hosted by comedian Oga Obinna. In attendance were Igiza leads Serah Ndanu, Blessing Lung’aho and Kevin Samuel, director and producer Abdi Shuria and other cast and crew members, media, and representatives from MultiChoice.

Set against the backdrop of Nairobi’s fashion industry and the infamous wash wash, Igiza is a story of revenge between twin sisters Linda and Nicole. Twelve years into serving time, Nicole breaks out of prison and takes the place of her identical twin sister Linda, who framed her. Nicole intends to take back everything she is owed. But there is only one obstacle: her sister’s seemingly wonderful life is filled with dark secrets that threaten to destroy her.

Introducing the screening, Denise Mwende, Showmax Content Specialist in East Africa, affirmed that Showmax is more invested than ever in local content, with Igiza being the fourth Showmax Original in Kenya in less than a year, with more to come in 2022.

“It’s been a good year for local content at Showmax, she said. “As a key player in the entertainment industry, we are proudly Africa’s greatest storyteller. The episode you’re about to watch tonight is one of our proudest yet, not just because we’ve had the chance to collaborate with world-class talent on a local stage but we also get to share these stories with the world, where even Kenyans in the UK and other parts of the diaspora have a taste of home.”

Denise praised Yare Productions for the work they’ve put into the series from beginning to end. “The journey with Yare Productions has been an exciting one, from pitching, scripting, casting, production and post-production. We jointly agree that this story is worth every single ounce of energy all the teams have put into it.”

Speaking about her role during the panel Q&A session, lead Serah Ndanu described her dual role of twins Linda and Nicole as a very intense process that was quite daunting at first, especially in scenes with both characters together. “Igiza being a first of its kind and also having this much pressure, I was always dreading those scenes of Linda and Nicole together but I’m so happy that they turned out to be some of the best scenes,” Serah said.

Director Abdi Shuria expressed his appreciation to the cast and to the writers who have worked with him in rigorous workshop sessions to bring to life a story that so many Kenyans will relate to.