What do you mean we got on a dhow, to get to a bash on the other side of the creek, during a festival.
If on 22nd October, an artist looking forward to the next nine days would talk to their future self on 31st October, their story would be classified as story za jaba.
On 23rd October, Kilifi Creek Festival started its second voyage. It invited the artist to feel at home in their art and in Kilifi. The festival offered a marketplace for the artist. This saw the artists bring out their art, film and music and the energy that resulted from the exchange propelled the festival throughout.
The program included industry led sessions in Blue House which offered creatives a chance to engage their peers in conversations about their craft. These workshops gave the artists a chance to learn more about their art and later pick the mind of the industry facilitators. These sessions revealed a hunger for knowledge of the arts in Kilifi, a hunger that Kilifi Creek Festival sought to satisfy. The programs were structured in a way that ensured whether you are discussing with your industry peers at Blue House, or experiencing the thrill of the VR village at white star, or coming to unwind with silent cinema at the Headquarters- Terrace arts space; the artist was always exposed to a form of art.
And the supreme artist was not left behind. The view the creek offered must have been painted asubuhi na mapema just before the first worm lost its life. What beauty.
This fusion offered artists an opportunity to expand their culture beyond their borders.
As the sun set on the beautiful days at the creek, the festival welcomed us to the creek with a good old fashioned basement, with the dhow ride being the main character.
A half moon sandwiched by two dark clouds set the scene for the Festival as it docked at Mandharini. The nine day festival came to an end in an auspicious award ceremony that with the guest of honor being artists in all forms from all over the world. Here are the winners of the festival awards.
KCF STUDENT AWARD
- WINNER ‘One Adventure at a time’ by Morris Mwangi
- SPECIAL MENTION Still Watching by Janet Mwaka
RISING STAR STUDENT AWARD
- Lenny Ndirangu
KCF NEW VOICES AWARD
- Gabriella Hinzano, Mombasa Raha
AFP CRITICS PRIZE
- Wa Kimani by Karanja Ng’endo (Kenya)
BEST AFRICAN FICTION
BEST AFRICAN SHORT (FICTION)
- OBI IS A BOY by Dika Ofoma (Nigeria)
BEST AFRICAN FEATURE – (FICTION)
- ONE WOMAN, ONE BRA by Vincho Nchogu (Kenya)
BEST AFRICAN SHORT – (NON-FICTION)
- DEAR SIKONKWANE by Sihle Hlophe (South Africa)
BEST AFRICAN FEATURE – (NON-FICTION)
- TRUCK MAMA by Zippy Nyaruri (Kenya, South Africa)
BEST ANIMATION & EXPERIMENTAL FILMS
Special Mention: Mombasa Raha by Gabriella Hinzano (Kenya)
WINNER: FINAL ACT by Babi Astolfi & Lisa Soares (Brazil)
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
Special Mention: Biriani by Mervin Yongene (Kenya)
WINNER: CONCRETE MOVES by Fagamou Fama Ndiaye (Senegal)
KCF SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
Special Mention: Kikuyu Land by Bea Wangondu and Andrew H. Brown (Kenya, USA)
WINNER: The People Shall by Mark Maina and Nick Wambugu
KCF FOUNDERS AWARD
- 1st award: WINNER: BEING YOU by Minenhle Luthuli (South Africa)
- 2nd Award: CHILAPA GIRL by Juana Lotero López (Columbia)
KCF VISIONARY AWARD
- WINNER: Judy Kibinge
FILMS IN MAIN COMPETITION – FICTION AND NON-FICTION
BEST FICTION AWARD
FICTION SHORT
- SPECIAL MENTION Obi is a Boy by Dika Ofoma
- WINNER GOAT by Judy Kibinge
FICTION FEATURE
- Special mention: Memory of Princess Mumbi by Damien Hauser (Kenya, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia)
BEST FEATURE
- WINNER: ‘Variation on a theme’ by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar (South Africa)
BEST NON-FICTION AWARD
NON-FICTION SHORT
- Special Mention: Dear Sikonkwane by Sihle Hlophe (South Africa)
BEST NON FICTION
- Short Open Field by Teboho Edkins (South Africa)
NON-FICTION FEATURE
- Special Mention: Matebeleland by Nyasha Kadandara (Zimbabwe)
BEST NON FICTION FEATURE
- The Woman Who Poked the Leopard by Patience Nitumwesiga (Uganda/South Africa)
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