The feature film Subira is Kenya’s 2019 choice for the Oscars, the Kenya Film Commission (KFC) has announced.
The film by Ravneet Chadha beat Lusala to the zenith of film awards after the Oscars selections Committee announced the results on Monday.
“After consideration of all the points and the strengths and weaknesses of all two film entries, the Oscars Selection Committee Kenya hereby confirms that it has selected Subira as the Kenyan submission to the 92nd Academy Awards (Oscars) in the category of Best International Feature Film Award,” read the statement from the committee.
The committee had been convened last Wednesday after the close of the Kenyan call for submissions that elapsed on September 19.
“We wish to congratulate the stellar cast and crew, director and producers of Subira for the great film that they presented for the Committee. We wish you all the best in the next steps to being a nominee of the Oscars and hopeful winners as well,” the filmmaker Ms Wambui, who chairs the Oscars selections Committee, said.
According to the KFC CEO Timothy Owase, the organisation is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (The Oscars) to set up a Selection Committee from industry associations and guilds and makes submissions for the Best International Feature Film Category Award on behalf of the Kenyan film industry.
“An International Feature Film is defined as a feature-length (over 40 minutes long) motion picture produced outside the United States of America with a predominantly non-English dialogue track,” explained Mr Owase adding that animated and documentary feature films are also permitted.
This category is formerly known as the Best Foreign Language Film category Award.
The selection of and subsequent submission of Subira is the first step to a long journey that sees a rigorous regime of vetting and jury that will finally decide on the winner on February 2020.
Subira won the best feature film at the 2018 Kalasha Awards and scooped with it the Best Director in a Film (Ravneet Sippy Chadha) as well as the Best Actress in a Film (Brenda Wairimu).
Only last month Subira curtain raised at the Zanzibar International Film festival winning two accolades including the European African Film and Feature Film under the Bronze Dhow category.
Just like the recent Oscars selections from Kenya such as Watu Wote (All of Us) co-produced by a foreign country, Subira is Kenyan-Danish co-production.
The film follows the story of Subira, a young Lamu girl, whose life is planned out for her and she is married off to a rich Nairobi family. However, like each one of us, Subira has a dream. The girl’s overbearing mother wants her to follow tradition, do household chores and ready to be an obedient housewife as opposed to a passion to be a swimmer.
Subira comes from a place of deep personal experience of Sippy Chadha, the director and premiered in Kenya on November 29, last year with a cast that included renowned actors Nice Githinji, Melvin Alusa, Azzar Bakkar, Abubakar Mwendwa, Geoffrey Odhiambo, Clifford Okumu, Sitawa Namwalie, Shirleen Wangari, Hindu Saalim, Chantelle Winnie among others.
