Kyamwilù, a feature film in the Kamba vernacular by Akambawood, tells a powerful story of twin brothers whose bond is torn apart by jealousy, ambition, parental favouritism, and a struggle for identity.
Blending drama, romance, folklore and cultural heritage, the film explores themes of brotherhood and betrayal, love and loyalty, power and ambition, cultural values and unity, and consequences of family conflicts.
Written by Ndakitali Munyao Kasee and Felistus Nzula, the film premiers on June 6 at the Kyaka Hotel in Machakos.
Kyamwilù follows twins Kyalo and Mwilu, whose lives are entangled in a bitter rivalry over a woman they both love. Their misunderstanding escalates into a conflict that threatens their family and their entire community.
Kasee, who plays both lead characters, says the story centres on two brothers with vastly different personalities. Kyalo is the firstborn and is outgoing, hard-working and loved by his father. Mwilu, on the other hand, is defended by his mother but feels entitled and neglected by his father.
As children, the twins possess supernatural powers and are regarded as extraordinary. Their birth is shrouded in mystery, as their parents had only daughters before performing traditional sacrifices in the hope of having sons.
The conflict intensifies when Kyalo leaves home in search of better opportunities. Mutheu (Habida Teresia) is introduced to Mwilu through his mother and later meets Kyalo in another village. Unaware that the men are twins, she believes she is with Mwilu, whom she calls by loving pet names. The misunderstanding is more complicated when she gets pregnant.
Although Mwilu initially rejects the woman, he later fights for her affection, and this sets the stage for a dramatic clash between the brothers. Their father orders them to settle the dispute through a contest at a river and declares that the winner will marry the woman.
Kasee opens up about the challenge of playing the brothers.
"It was not easy playing two different characters. At one point, I realised I was portraying them too similarly, so I had to become more creative and embody the distinct personalities written in the script," he expresses.
Kasee and Nzula say that the inspiration to script the film came from a famous tourist attraction in Machakos known as Kyamwilu Hill.
"We are telling Kamba stories from a time before modern scientific explanations. Kyamwilu is a place that defies gravity; when you pour water, it flows uphill. It is a fascinating site, and we wanted to build an original story with roots in folktale," Nzula says.
She says that many tourism sites in Ukambani are unknown even though they have rich cultures. She feels that the many beautiful places and stories from the region deserve to be shared to inspire people to visit and experience the wonders of Kamba land.
Kasee reiterates her statement, adding that every historical and tourist site in the region has oral traditions and folklores behind it.
"The Akamba are known as storytellers. Every tourism site in our region has a story behind it, and it shows what our people believed and how they understood the world," he says.
Kyamwilù is Akambawood's first feature film and was shot at the Akamba Cultural Centre, Kwa Nthungu in Machakos. Before this production, the team worked on a local television programme, Kasee, which airs on Mutongoi TV, and produced several short films, such as Love Dust and Mganga Digital, which won Best Short Film at the Machakos Film Festival (Machawood) in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Kasee says that Akambawood will be creating and promoting more stories about the Akamba culture. For a long time, he continues, people consumed stories from elsewhere, but now there are more quality films that encourage people to embrace and support local productions.
Nzula also believes that filmmaking is essential to preserving culture and identity for future generations.
"We have many stories from our cultures which younger generations are not aware of. Through film, we want them to understand their roots, identity, history and heritage and to be proud of where they come from," she says.