Award-winning writer and director Wanuri Kahiu, whose queer film Rafiki was banned in Kenya after the filmmaker refused to alter the film’s portrayal of a lesbian relationship, has signed a deal with The Gotham Group.
The Gotham Group is an entertainment production company founded in 1994 and helmed by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. The company has produced a spectrum of films like Abduction, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Maze Runner franchise.
Despite the setback, Rafiki premiered at this year’s Cannes, and became the first Kenyan film to feature at the renowned festival.
When Rafiki was banned, Kenya’s Film Classification Board had tweeted: “Anyone found in its possession will be in breach of law.” Under the national law in Kenya, gay sex carries a 14-year jail sentence. Despite the ban, Rafiki still found international distribution through Orange Studios and MPM Premium.
Born in Nairobi, Kahiu is a part of a new generation of African storytellers receiving international acclaim and attention. Her 2008 feature From a Whisper is based on the real events surrounding the bombing of the U.S.
Embassy in Nairobi for which she wrote the screenplay, won multiple awards at the Africa Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
