Another local movie debuts on Netflix as sector revamps

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Kenyan film, 40 Sticks, is the latest local production to premiere on Netflix. The 95-minute movie is centered on a group of death row prisoners who are trapped inside a crashed prison bus. They are fighting for survival when they realise there is a mysterious killer lurking in the shadows. Filmed in Nairobi last year, the movie has been scripted in Sheng, Kiswahili and English. SensePlay, a local production house, partnered with Film Studios Kenya, Bingi Media and Ogopa Inc in making the film. Robert Ageng’o, Cajetan Boy, Mwaura Bilal, Arabron Nyyneque and Xavier Ywaya are among the cast.

The thriller, directed by Victor Gatonye, will hit the film channel mid this month, a month after two other Kenyan films, Sincerely Daisy and Disconnect premiered on the same channel. Poacher was the first Kenyan film to premiere on Netflix in September. Gatonye, has featured in other productions such as One in a Million, Dreamchild, Changes II and Kona both as an actor and director. “We picked a rare genre for Kenya and ran with it. The team did very well if I may say so myself,” said Fakii Liwali, the film’s executive producer.