Soul Boy

Not to be confused with Soulboy (film).

Soul Boy

Directed by	Hawa Essuman
Produced by	Marie Steinmann Tom Tykwer Siobhain "Ginger" Wilson Guy Wilson Verena Rahmig Sarika Hemi Lakhani
Written by	Billy Kahora
Starring	Samson Odhiambo Leila Dayan Opou Krysteen Savane Frank Kimani Joab Ogolla Lucy Gachanja Katherine Damaris Kevin Onyango Omondi Calvin Shikuku Odhiambo Nordeen Abdulghani
Music by	Xaver von Treyer
Cinematography	Christian Almesberger
Edited by	Ng´ethe Gitungo
Release dates	January 2010 (2010-01) (Göteborg) March 4, 2010 (2010-03-04) (Kenya) December 2, 2010 (2010-12-02) (Germany)
Running time	61 minutes
Country	Kenya
Language	Swahili

Soul Boy^[1] is a 2010 Kenyan drama film, written by Billy Kahora and directed by Hawa Essuman. It developed under the mentorship of German director and producer Tom Tykwer in Kibera, one of the largest slums in the African continent, in the middle of Nairobi, Kenya. The film has received five nominations at the 2011 African Movie Academy Awards.^[2]

The film originated in a workshop for young film enthusiasts from Nairobi, guided by German director Tom Tykwer.

Plot

Nairobi, Kenya. 14-year-old Abila lives with his parents in Kibera, one of the largest slums in East Africa. One morning the teenager discovers his father ill and delirious. Someone has stolen his soul, mumbles the father. Abila is shocked and confused but wants to help his father and goes in search of the right remedy. Supported by his girlfriend Shiku, he embarks on an adventurous journey that leads him right to the heart of the microcosm that is his hometown.

Cast

Samson Odhiambo
Leila Dayan Opou
Krysteen Savane
Frank Kimani
Joab Ogolla
Lucy Gachanja
Katherine Damaris
Kevin Onyango Omondi
Calvin Shikuku Odhiambo
Nordeen Abdulghani

Awards

Dioraphte Audience Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam^[3]
Veto Award, Afrika-Filmfestival, Leuven, Belgium
Signis Award, Zanzibar International Film Festival, Zanzibar, Tanzania^[4]
Polish Filmmakers Association Award, Ale Kino!, Poznań, Poland
Best Short Film, Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya^[5]
Best Lead Actor: Samson Odhiambo, Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya^[6]
Best Scriptwriter: Billy Kahora, Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya^[7]
Best Actor: Samson Odhiambo, Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya^[8]
Best East African Film, Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya^[9]
Special Mention "Passeurs d’images" prize, FESTIVAL CINÉ JUNIOR (International Film Festival for Young people), Paris, France
The Young Jury Prize, FESTIVAL CINÉ JUNIOR (International Film Festival for Young people), Paris, France
Spiritual Film Festival Award, Paris
Best Children's Film Award at the Film Festival Recklinghausen (Germany) 2011^[10]
Best Editor: Ephantus Ng'ethe Gitungo, African Movie Academy Awards^[11]

Festivals

Germany

2010: Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale)^[12]

International

2010: 2010: Gothenburg Film Festival^[13]; 2010: International Film Festival Rotterdam^[14]; 2010: Afrika-Filmfestival^[15]; 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival^[16]; 2010 Durban International Film Festival^[17]; 2010 Sydney Film Festival^[18]; 2010 Cinemafrica Stockholm^[19]; 2010 Nairobi, Kenya Premiere; 2010 African Film Festival Tarifa^[20]; 2010 Sydney Film Festival^[21]; 2010 Khouribga Maroc^[22]; 2010 Seoul Intl Youth Film Festival^[23]; 2010 Montreal World Film Festival^[24]; 2010 Cinemas D'Afrique^[25]; 2010 Cambridge Film Festival^[26]; 2010 Montreal Intl Black Film Festival^[27]; 2010 Films From the South OSLO^[28]; 2010 Hamptons Intl Film Festival^[29]; 2010 Warsaw Film Festival^[30]; 2010 Carlow African Film Festival^[31]; 2010 Discovery Film Festival^[32]; 2010 Chicago Intl Children's Film Festival^[33]; 2010 Carthage Film Festival^[34]; 2010 African Diaspora Film Festival NY^[35]; 2010 Palm Springs Film Festival^[36]; 2010 San Diego Black Film Festival^[37]; 2010 Adelaide Film Festival^[38]; 2010 FESPACO, Burkina Faso^[39]; 2010 Birds Eye View FF^[40]; 2010 FEBIOFEST^[41]; 2010 Toronto IFF for children^[42]; 2010 ReelWorld Film Festival^[43]; 2010 Ecrans Noirs - Cameroun^[44]; 2010 Rwanda Film Festival^[45]; 2010 Zanzibar Film Festival, Tanzania^[46]; 2010 Zimbabwe International Film Festival; 2010 Kenya International Film Festival^[47]; 2010 Amakula Kampala International FilmFestival, Uganda^[48]; 2010 Ethiopia Film Festival^[49]; 2010 Festival du film de Dakar, Senegal; 2010 Quintessence, Benin^[50]

2011

Cinema Le Bretagne (France)^[51]
Plein La Bobine (France)^[52]
Addis Film Festival (Ethiopia)^[53]
Chennai Women In Films Festival (India)^[54]
Fiuggi Family Festival (Italy)^[55]
Salaam Festival (Denmark)^[56]
Cine Sparks Festival (Australia)^[57]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Andrew Onyango reviewing for KenyaBuzz was mesmerized by how much "surreal" the world of the movie is, adding that the scripts use of Swahili strengthened the film's impact: "The Swahili speaking audience (particularly those exposed to the dialect being used) feel a powerful sense of identification. There is nothing like hearing it firsthand because the translation loses some of the impact of the words."^[58]

References

African Film Festival of Cordoba-FCAT (license CC BY-SA)

Works by Tom Tykwer

Feature films	Deadly Maria (1993) Winter Sleepers (1997) Run Lola Run (1998) The Princess and the Warrior (2000) Heaven (2002) Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) The International (2009) Three (2010) Cloud Atlas (2012) A Hologram for the King (2016)

Short films	Paris, je t'aime (2006; segment "Faubourg Saint-Denis") 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero (2011; segment)

Writer only	Life is All You Get (1997)

Producer only	Absolute Giganten (1999) A Friend of Mine (2006) Soul Boy (2010) Nairobi Half Life (2012) Veve (2014) Kati Kati (2016)

Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Editing

2005-2014	Yesterday (2005) Rising Moon (2006) Mokili (2007) Divizions or Division (2008) From a Whisper (2009) The Child (2010) Soul Boy (2011) How to Steal 2 Million (2012) Heroes & Zeros (2013) Potomanto (2014)

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