Derailed

In my last post I mentioned getting back on track, but today the production was totally derailed. The shoot was called off, and a meeting was held with all the department heads. Nobody said it would be easy. The good news is that the spirit of "togetherness" has prevailed, and we will resume shooting on Monday.

Meanwhile, I've been able to a capture more incredible footage:

A local musician playing an improvised hybrid drum and guitar shared a song he wrote called "Tushirikiane" which means Together We Unite. I'm hoping to rerecord it and use it in the doc. (will post an audio clip and photo soon)

During the climatic scene of the film that recreates the post-election violence in Kibera we captured raw emotions from both Luo and Kikuyu actors. Chris, a Luo playing a youth campaigner who incites a riot, was so in character as he brandished his panga (machete) in front of our camera that I felt a tremor of real fear. Witnessing the scene, Wilson, the lead Kikuyu actor, sank into deep sadness as he was reminded of his painful past.

The last scene of the day they shot the set catching fire (with mostly controlled special effects)!

The next day we were able to shoot a ton of establishing and slice of life shots of Kibera. Plus a young kid named Felix performed a rap about Kibera on camera.

Today we arrived early to capture the behind-the-scenes set up for the opening scene of the film when a fat businessman hits a street kid with his Mercedes. One of the crew members compared the scene to Kenyan politics saying that -- just like the fat businessman -- politicians in this country do not want to take responsibility for their actions unless they are forced to do the right thing.

We're off tomorrow and then Sunday is a big day where we are following the lead actors home and meeting their family and friends.