Bus terror attack film gets Oscar nomination

A scene from the short film Watu Wote. [Photo: Courtesy]

A Kenyan film, based on the Mandera bus attack, has been nominated for Best Live Action short film at the 90th Oscar awards.

The announcement was made on Tuesday just hours before the Nairobi premier of Watu Wote, a film by three German students, which has been nominated for the prestigious awards slated for March 4.

The film, depicting the solidarity displayed by Muslims and Christians riding on a bus, has already won awards at more than 40 prestigious film festivals around the world.

The Muslims shielded the Christians during an attack by Al Shabaab militants on the bus in Mandera on December 21, 2015.

The 22-minute film, directed by Katja Benrath, is told through the eyes of actress Adelyne Wairimu who plays the role of a Christian passenger.

The complete list was posted on the Academy Awards' official page on Tuesday evening as the cast and crew cheered on while watching it live at the Junction Mall.

Watu Wote is mostly a dialogue-free film about the passengers' gut-wrenching ordeal that made headlines across the world.

The film was shot in Nairobi, Mwingi and Magadi.