45th Falutin Films

08 February 2025

*2 Short Films of the week, written, directed & produced by this week's speaker!*

-> Films:
 *Mama of Manyatta* is a short documentary film that follows a remarkable woman fighting HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence in a Kisumu slum. The film engages with themes of gender, public health, poverty, resilience, and community-based social change. It presents a unique story of African endurance and empowerment in the face of trauma and hardship. 

*Inside Job* is a short fictional film about an Indian woman in 1970s Nairobi who suspects her African domestic workers of stealing a piece of jewelry. In the process of investigating, deeper fears and resentments surface, revealing a vicious cycle of interracial mistrust and betrayal. The film focuses on race & East African identity, as well as the complex entanglement of intimacy & inequality within a domestic labor context. 

-> Speaker: Filmmaker Kiana Rawji is a Kenyan-Canadian currently based in New York who studied Film & History at Harvard College. Over the past few years, her award-winning short films have screened at film festivals & independent theatres across East Africa, Canada, and the U.S.  As with "Inside Job" which was the product of her undergraduate thesis research on the South Asian diaspora in East Africa, her films strive to illuminate social justice issues, amplify unheard voices, and drive cultural change. She will speak about the origins and processes behind the two films and how she seeks to tell authentic and impactful stories based on the lived experiences of people often overlooked and issues often unspoken. She will also share some updates on a new film project she is currently developing in Kenya, and is excited to connect with other young Kenyan filmmakers and creatives interested in telling stories of diaspora, identity, social justice and human resilience.

-> First time attending Falutin? Paste this link into your broswer for more info: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BkbqB-vSFdXxjxdzdnfVk6OdzCZxlG4pTNHbEJn9vAM/edit?usp=sharing

-> Core Volunteers get free tickets!  Yes! We have a fantastic core volunteer team that puts on our events which comes with these benefits:
- Free ticket to any event you volunteer for
- You get to wear the snazy red “Falutin Film” T-shirt
- Transport to venue reimbursed up to 500Ksh

To become a core volunteer, you’ll need to complete 2 events as a “Volunteer in Training.” Here’s how:
* Select a “Volunteer in Training” ticket (limited to 5 per event).
* Arrive by 5:00 p.m. on event day (arriving later than 5:30 p.m. won’t count)
* Assist your assigned core volunteer with their tasks throughout the night.

Important Volunteer in Training Info:
* If you can’t attend after signing up, you must find a replacement (e.g., via WhatsApp or a friend). 
* Late or missing replacements will disqualify you from becoming a core volunteer.
* First-time attendees can’t sign up as a “Volunteer in Training”