KENYAN FILMS BABA AND FREE MONEY PREMIERE AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (TIFF)

Two Kenyan films Baba and Free Money have premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Baba, directed by Mbithi Masya, is a short fiction film about six-year-old Baba played by Malik Wandera who has the ability to teleport by closing his eyes to leave any situation. The film is a tale about abuse and survival with Baba’s teleportation proving not of the body but the mind.

He closes his eyes to imagine calm waves of the beach as an escape from the hardships of the reality he faces at the hands of an often emotionally absent mother (Faith Kibathi), violently authoritarian aunt (Mbeki Mwalimu), and abusively understated cousin (Victor Makgati‘s Kevin). “So happy to have worked with the @LBxAfrica team to make @shortfilmBABA a reality.The support from the beginning has been immense. @sokosam @IroBram and Ivy Kiru,” said Mbithi.

Directed by Lauren de Fillipo and Sam Soko, Free Money is a story filmed over five years, which follows the world’s largest and longest universal basic income experiment that has been taking place in Kogutu, a village in the western part of Kenya. Taking to Twitter Sam wrote, “Double hit at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. @TIFF_NET  Our five-year-in-the-making feature doc, Free Money, which I co-directed with Lauren DeFilippo, aaaand  @shortfilmBABA will also be having their world premiere!”

CNN correspondent Larry Madowo flew to Toronto to support his friends, “Some personal news: The world premiere of our documentary ‘Free Money’ was magical! A sold out theatre, raving reviews and excellent reception at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was filmed over 5 years and follows what happens when an American NGO gives everyone in a poor* Kenyan village free money every month.”