Class of 2010 intake

March 27th 2010 saw the graduation of 8 students. who for 9 months had been training at the school. When they joined the school in August 2009, they had access to only 2 rooms, an editing room and the main classroom. The classroom was also the reception area for Hot Sun Foundation.

Early this year, they participated in the move to the new location, a mansion with own compound, right next to the former HSF location. This meant larger spaces, rooms for editing, locations for their final projects, a separate office for the financial administrator and the school coordinator, a space to hold their graduation, a space for screenings.. basically, endless possibilities.

3 of the graduates from the Class of 2009  (Faith, Martha and Josphat) have already found employment. Josphat Keya is now the  Kibera Film School Coordinator, Martha Kisaka is an intern at Hot Sun Films while Faith Wavinya is an Assistant Editor on a Kenyan TV show that currently broadcasts on DSTV. Gabriella Operre and Victor Oluoch are the crew behind the KiberaTV  You-tube Channel. Though this is an idea that was born in 2008, its now that we have qualified youth who can make it their own and run with it.

The rest of the students will be working at the film school as assistant trainers for the Class of 2010. They will also be working on holding after school filming clubs in local primary and high school. On weekends, they will also be teaching young kids how to work with flip cameras, collect stories and basic editing. They do have their work cut out for them!


Starting May 3rd, the class of 2010 will be starting their classes at the Kibera Film School. The Assistant trainers will start hem off with the basics - data management, handling  / cleaning / care of equipment etc. Instructors drawn from the Kenya film industry will be joining the school later in the month to start the really serious filmmaking stuff. ( Now you know who is writing this post - Only Mercy  Murugi would call it 'really serious filmmaking stuff' ).

We are in search of Kenyan filmmakers who would be interested in being Kibera Film School instructors. If interested, send an email with a CV, and cover letter to mercy@hotsunfoundation.org.

and don't forget...
To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

ART ACTION VISITS KIBERA FILM SCHOOL

On 29th March 2010, Sara Bradford from Art Action Singapore, one of the partners of Hot Sun Foundation came down to Kibera to meet the current trainees who had just graduated on Saturday 27th March 2010.  She got to hear compelling stories from the trainees on how they joined the school and how they felt having graduated.

She also got to witness the filming of STOP RAPE NOW P.S.A (Public Service Announcement) by the trainees.








 

The P.S.A was shot entirely in Kibera by the trainees with the collaboration of Jah Army an artist group that is based in Kibera. One of its members being John Ngariuya commonly known as “GG Spice” is a graduate at the school.

“We want this message to reach to everybody out there, that rape erodes all the human values, and yes it can be stopped” John Ngaruiya

The P.S.A will be out soon.

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

GLOBAL GIVING COMES TO KIBERA

Marc Maxson from Global Giving and Zipporah Sangilu came to Kibera Film School to carry out a story collection survey with the help of the Kibera Film School trainees. The survey aimed at knowing what community efforts the Kibera community has witnessed.

Marc Maxson led the trainees in a small workshop on story collecting after which the trainees went out later in the day for a test survey

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

ACUMEN FUND MEETS KIBERA FILM SCHOOL

Kibera Film School had the pleasure to host Acumen Fund 13 representatives from all over the world on 24th March 2010 . Led by Blair Miller from New York, the group shared with the trainees what entails in the Acumen programme. 

The visitors also got a chance to walk around the school premises and also enjoyed watching JEWEL IN THE DUST a film done by the trainees.

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

KIBERA FILM SCHOOL VISITS KOUNKUEY DESIGN INITIATIVE-KIBERA

After having a meeting with one of the Kounkuey Design Initiative Chief Executive Officer Chelina Odbert at Kibera Film school, three trainees from Kibera Film school set out to visit the Kounkuey Design Initiative premises based in Kibera – Undugu village.

Kounkuey Design Initiative that largely dealt with reclaiming some of the land in Undugu submerged with water showed Evans Kamau, John Ngaruiya and Josphat Keya from Kibera Film School some of the projects they had developed at the site they had reclaimed.

After going around the site, the Kibera Film School trainees realized that the site could also be used for the outdoor screenings that will be going on in the entire Kibera.

The visit became like an exchange programme saw another partnership in empowering the Kibera community by Kibera Film school and Kounkuey Design Initiative

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

MARTHA Kisaka NOMINATED Most Promising Actress!

 My name is Martha Kisaka. I am 23 years old.  I grew up in a community, known as East Africa’s largest slum – Kibera. I grew up in a community where girls talk constantly about boyfriends and babies.

My mother inspired me to be different. Despite severe hardships, she never sold illicit brew like so many very desperate women in Kibera. My mother taught me to work hard to be who I want to be.

So here I am. A young woman in Kibera, an aspiring actress and filmmaker. Who has just been nominated by the African Movie Academy Awards for “Most Promising Actress.

How do I feel?  Amazed, surprised, delighted, excited… being nominated for such an award was something that happened to other people. I only read about it in magazines or saw it on TV.  

I play the lead female role in the Kibera feature film TOGETHERNESS SUPREME.  This is my first movie.  TOGETHERNESS SUPREME is very close to me and other youth in Kibera who suffered so much during the 2007 post election violence in Kenya.  I am proud to be part of a film that is working for peace and reconciliation.

The African Film Academy Awards will be held in Nigeria on 10 April 2010.  I want to be there to represent young African women actresses and filmmakers. I want to be there to represent the youth of Kibera, a neglected slum community. I want to be there to represent Kenya.  I want to be there to represent TOGETHERNESS SUPREME – a film that can make a difference.

I need your support.  You can make a contribution online by going to http://www.buykiberakid.com. Go to the DONATE page and look for me, Martha Kisaka.  Every amount will get me closer to Nigeria.  

With your support, I will be a step closer to my dream of becoming a filmmaker making films that will not just entertain but also educate. Thank you.  

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page