Sex appeal is not everything

Likarion Wainaina is a film director, cinematographer and co-founder Kibanda Pictures. He speaks about making his own dreams come true.

1. I hear you were born in Moscow, how did you end up in Kenya?

My father worked in Moscow, Russia. Our family moved there for the duration of his contract. We came back when I was five years old and we’ve been here since.

2. You are on record saying that you are school dropout. How did this come about, and, was it an accident or a deliberate thing?

I dropped out of high school when I was in Form Two due to financial reasons. My mother ended up having to raise us by herself. It was difficult for her but I appreciate her so much for the sacrifices she made for me to get to where I am. I don’t think I am the type of guy to drop out of school deliberately, I believe that education is important.

3. How did you get here (working as a director)?

I actually started out as an actor, I originally became an actor to meet girls at our church drama group but I ended up loving it so much that I joined a traveling theatre group. It wasn’t until I acted in my first onscreen role that I realized that maybe I might not need formal training to pursue what I love, which is film.

All I had to do was to apply myself. After a while, I picked up a camera and made my first short film. I took an entire year to read up on film online and learn from watching as many movies as I can. I later met up with my two best friends, Brian Munene and Bruce Makau and together we started experimenting with movie making.

4. What’s your job? (a) As a director b) As cinematographer

As a director, I ensure that my films run smoothly. I visualise the script, control the artistic and dramatic aspects of a movie by guiding the crew and actors.

A cinematographer is the person in charge of actually shooting the film. He is the head of the camera and lighting departments of a film. He is in charge of creating the mood and feel of the movie using the camera and lighting.

5. Most of the films that you have produced are short (five minutes) films for your YouTube Channel. Is five minutes sufficient time to tell a story?

It definitely is. There are even 60-second films online that tell a story sufficiently. It’s just a bit harder to do so because of the time limitations. I think that’s why I like them, the short length makes you think on your feet in executing a good story as opposed to a feature film where you have time to let things ‘breathe’.

6. What do you try to accomplish with your films?

I want my films to leave the audience more human than they were. That can mean addressing certain issues in society but mostly I try to delve deeper into, and explore more of the human psyche.

7. What would your dream definitive film project be?

Maybe do a sequel or reboot to V for Vendetta (2005) or Sunshine (2007) as they are two of my favorite films.

8. If we are to look for you ten years from today, where would you want to be career wise?

There is a film revolution that’s about to hit Kenya. I hope that in ten years I will be a major part of it or hopefully be leading that film revolution.

9. I assume there a number of female directors in Kenya. Is their world different from yours?

From a creativity stand point, it definitely is not different. However, if you’re asking if it’s harder for a female director to work in Kenya then I can only say that I honestly cannot know as I am on the end of the biased gender here. But, I tend to believe that directing is mainly based on someone’s talent and not their gender. So I really hope their world isn’t different.

10. Viola Davis has called herself ‘a not so-attractive lady’ yet she has won countless awards and has been nominated several times. She is a Hollywood powerhouse. How far can a lady who is not physically beautiful go as an actress in Kenya?

I think audiences around the world have evolved. Now, they lean on character believability as opposed to sex appeal when it comes to characters in movies. I don’t think it’s any different in Kenya. Even though sex still sells, performance over looks will always have its place in cinema.

11. Producers and directors are known to ask for or get sexual favour from young ladies hungry for and eager to get into the film industry. One of your films actually looked at this issue. How do you deal with these kinds of situations?

Fortunately it has never happened to me. It’s a sad thing really, when there are so many talented actresses out there who are working hard to get noticed and here you are trying the easy route. If it happened to me I think I would just let them know that I don’t cast a film out of personal preference but out of the needs of the script. I don’t want to jeopardize my work.

12. If in future, your daughter one day tells you that she’d want to become an actress. What kind of director would you not want her to work with?

I think I would first ask her if she REALLY wants to be in this industry, haha. I think I would want her to NOT have a director who asks for sexual favors but rather have one who is concerned with drawing out a great performance out of an actor.