By The Children’s Press
Published August 10, 2007

Lola Kenya Screen 2007 film festival for children and youth opened on August 6 and ends on August 11. By the end of Thursday evening, three short films had been made, 30 children and youth attended two production workshops,  and 150 films had screened to an estimated 2500 people. Members of the Children’s Press present the highlights at the festival over the past four days.

DAY IV at Lola Kenya Screen 2007

By Madline Awuor, 14, Class 8, Naivasha Central Primary School
The fourth day of the second Lola Kenya Screen began delightfully with lots of people gathered at Goethe-Institut. Film screening began on time at 9.am.
Jared Katsiane�s FERNANDO�S FIRST SNOW was screened in the morning session. It talked about the things that children remember even when they become adults and that are never erased from their minds.
MY GUITAR, a film by Jean Paul Mbonimana was shown. When it ended there was thorough clapping in the auditorium. Mbonimana was in the house and was proud of his production.
Jakub Barua, a film director in Kenya, who has attended the festival daily since its opening, said the films he liked most were OSKAR & JOSEFINE and WE SHALL OVERCOME. He thinks Danish filmmakers have talent in making films for children.
�Lola Kenya Screen is a good idea because it increases space in the art of filmmaking and promotion and also helps children understand what filmmaking is all about.�
Vivian Mukakizima, a reporter with Reuters TV came to the festival to do a story on the festival. Impressed by what she saw, she remarked, �Lola Kenya Screen is a good idea because children have opportunities to do what they would like to be in future.�

By Irene Esonga, 14, Class 8, Kimbo Primary School
The fourth day of Lola Kenya Screen was a little sunnier than the previous one. The 10th film of the day, MAKE A WISH from Palestine, took 12 minutes. It is about Mariam who is ready to do anything to get a birthday cake to honour her late father. She begs her mother for money with which to buy the cake to celebrate her late father’s birthday. When she gets to the bakery she finds the cake is too expensive for her. She begs her sister to pretend to be blind in order to collect alms from sympathisers in order to get enough money for the cake. In the end she gets the money and buys the cake.
The director of the film, Cherien Dabis, was born of Middle Eastern parents in 1976 in Omaha, USA. She has been recognised by the industry�s top organisations and trade publications.

MAKE A WISH shows that any one can do anything so long as one sticks to it.

“It is the most interesting film shown in the morning,”Cynthia Atamba of Guest Relations said.

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Bakhita Mugoya, 12, Class 7, Moi Educational Centre

On Thursday, August 9, most people at the festival were dressed warmly but the cold is slowly decreasing. While some members of the production workshop are very busy narrating parts of their stories and others are typing their scripts, still others are working on backgrounds of their films.
Unlike 2006 when everyone did individual films, this time round the Lola Kenya Screen film production workshop has the children working in three groups and so there will be three films made.
The Children’s Press members are interviewing people and writing about films in order to produce enough news for all who want to be abreast of activities.
So far the films that have been judged are FERNANDO�s FIRST SNOW, SHANTELL TOWN, MAKE A WISH, and THE GIRL IN THE WINDOW.
The films most viewers enjoyed were SHANTELL TOWN, and MAKE A WISH. They liked them because they were interesting.
The Programme Presenters have a new member: Alexis Baluka. She is well known for her eloquence in school and has been going for drama festivals because she loves poems.

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By Ashley Asiala, 11, Class 5, Busara Primary School
On the fourth day of Lola Kenya Screen, the weather was cold but not as cold as the previous day.
The audience appeared to warm up after a film called MY GUITAR was screened. It was about a man who was very violent to his wife and son. He was an alcoholic and came back home late and drunk every day. He used to beat up the wife and son. One day they left him and went upcountry from where the son went to the city market with his guitar to collect money for subsistence.
The same day the alcoholic father was sacked and thrown out of his house because he could not pay rent.
Years passed and the son grew up. One day the father entered the bar but the bouncers wanted to remove him. His son noticed him and demanded they leave him alone. He took him home and the family was re-united once again.
The audience liked this film. �I liked it because it was realistic and shows how some families live behind closed doors,” said Irene Esonga of the Children’s Press.

DAY III at Lola Kenya Screen 2007

By Charmaine N Ndolo, Class 6, Riara Road Primary School
Here at the production workshop are lots of things going on. From Monday till Wednesday they have completed a film titled THE WISE BRIDE. It is about a beautiful girl who wants to get married. Two men go to her father saying they would like to have her As their wife. The father tells them to come the following day as he will have found the solution as to who among them marries his daughter. When they come the following day he tells them “I will give you a piece of cloth each. The first to complete sewing his piece is the one who will marry my daughter.”

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The girl put a shorter piece of thread in the needle the man she loved was going to get. He finished first and thus married her.
The workshop wanted to shoot their film and so they had some work to do.
The characters are not real people so they are using animation.
Also present with them is the Visual Works media house. I spoke to Angela who said she thought it was a good initiative. She works in the video department.
Maikki Kantola, the facilitator from Finland, gave them instructions on how to work and they did it with her help. She would animate a character and say “Shoot.” The children would press a button and say “Done”.
In case of a problem they would tell her and she would tell them how many times to press the button.
Kantola showed them what to do in case of a problem when she was not nearby. She has been working as a media pedagogue in Pirikanma Film Centre in Finland. She also collaborates with the children�s programming section of the Finnish Channel II series.
I noticed that listening and discipline is key in the production workshop.
Kantola’s boss was to have come but fell sick and could not travel.
It was now time for shooting in turns. Girls were to make a story box similar to cartoons, show the actions of the characters. The boys would be shooting.
One of the journalists interviewed me. One of the things I noticed with journalists is that one is to answer in complete sentences.
After they interviewed Kantola, they also asked Aysha Satchu and Layla Satchu some questions.

By Edwin A Onyango, 17, Form 4, Uhuru Secondary School
The day was full of good films. The most memorable ones were as follows: Jan Balej�s stop motion half-hour film, TOM THUMB, a feature on the cherished story. It was followed by the American film, SOLACE by Jared Katsiane and Kim Strobl�s UK short, SUMMER BREEZE.
Great acting was exhibited by Moshe Feuster in the Israeli film by Dana Blankstein, CAMPING. Israeli talent always seems to glow at the Lola Kenya Screen festival as was in last year’s VIKA. There was also the mildly psychologically themed French-themed film by Mathew-David Cournot, SWIMMING AWAY, about a woman who after suffering loss of her child finds a way to escape reality.
Pablomina gave an Anthony Hopkins-like performance with an equally great one from his co-star in the Spanish film, TWICE. Estella Garcia plays Laura who wishes for divorce but is forced to give in to her husband Mario�s request of re-enacting the first encounter with each other.
Tudor Arron Istidor also gives a natural performance as Paul Negoecsu in Paul Negoecsu�s EXAM from Romania.
Mehmet Bahadir ER�s UMUT was the second last film. It was about Mustafa, an unlawfully-held prisoner in Turkey.
The best was saved for last in the form of an Indian production by Rajnesh Domalpalli’s VANAJA, a 111-minute feature film.
The film puts to light issues affecting low caste Indians in society. Vanaja wishes to learn kuchipudi, and be great at the Indian dance. She leaves school to work at Rama Devi (revered in her days at the dance’s household.
The films gives us a glimpse into Vanaja’s life and shows to great effect how the rights of the low caste can be easily trampled upon by those in the upper castes.
Mamatha Bhukya is excellent at playing Vanaja and is greatly believable, especially in the scene where she tries to seduce Ram Babu. It has musical scenes but not in the typical Bollywood fashion. The supporting cast is equally superb, especially the annoying little Yagnesh. Shekha Babu (Rama Devi)�s feelings and intentions are unclear, especially after he impregnates Vanaja. We are not sure whether he intends to marry or just wants to get rid of her.The film is about tragedy (Vanaja�s father later dies), injustice and fate. Vanaja, despite her status, believes that she is meant to be more than just a radhamma, coincidentally, to her own child. The directing, editing, setting and witty dialogue in VANAJA, make this one of the best films at the festival.
It however had a poor attendance perhaps due to its being scheduled late in the evening or due to the attitude toward Indian films by black Kenyans. But it was evident that the few viewers present thoroughly enjoyed it and engaged in debate soon after the film�s ending. Many thought it had an unsuitable ending, but maybe the director wanted it to be a true reflection of what truly happens. All in all the film, I believe, has achieved a lot in sensitising the world on the ignored humanitarian issues in India, especially children’s rights.

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By Irene Esonga, 14, Class 8, Kimbo Primary School

On Wednesday morning it was very chilly; one could tell by the look of the audience’s face that they were freezing in the cold but they seemed to cheer up when the movie, SMILING DOG by Shohreh Jandaghian, started rolling on the big screen.
The film is from Germany and is about a girl living in a place where there is war. She sympathises when she sees injured people being treated in hospital. She thinks of how she can bring peace back to their country but does not find the solution.
One day when she is drawing she imagines that her dog could swallow all the soldiers at once and there would be peace in the country. The director of the film, Jandaghian, was born in 1969 in Tehran, Iran but she now lives in Germany. She started her career when she wrote short stories through correspondence in the institute for children and youth cultural development in Tehran. In 1983 she later studied puppet theatre in TV and radio for two years. She now works as a freelance journalist.
Her film was screened to show that even children can bring peace to their country.
�The film was good and the person who created it was creative. I have learnt that children from war-ravaged countries should advocate for peace in their country,” said Adima Mesa of the Children�s Jury.

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Bakhita Mugoya, 12, Class 7, Moi Educational Centre
Today, Wednesday, August 8, started as a cold and gloomy morning. Everyone in the festival had dressed warmly and did everything they could to feel warm and secure. Only two of the Children’s Jury members had arrived: Adima Mesa and Mina Ogova.
The film screening began at 9.00am. Most of the production workshop members arrived by 9.45 am, a clear 15 minutes ahead of the starting time of their programme.The Children�s Press had also arrived by 9.30 and begun searching for  information for publication.
The Programme Presenters, who everyone refers to as Emcees, had also arrived by 9.30 and I am sure thay had drunk a lot of lemon juice the previous night in order to clear their throat.
Compared to 2006, the Children’s Jury members were fewer and less organised.
One of the films that appealed to most viewers was ROBERTO THE INSECT ARCHITECT which was about a termite who loved art but whose community and family despised and discouraged from becoming an architect thus forcing him to move away from home. He built homes for homeless insects. All insects loved the homes he built and offered him instant jobs. His family and community were sorry for what they had done to him and threw him a congratulatory party for him.
I learnt that despite what people tell you, do what you want and it will bear fruit.

The film most people found boring was PLAYGROUND which was about two brothers who trespass on a building site and are cornered by a security dog. The dog owner, Floyd, rescues the boys and they form a friendship that is fragile. People found it boring because it did not teach them anything and no lessons were learnt.

By Ashley Asiala, 11, Class 5, Busara Primary School
Today morning started with a very interesting movie called ROBERTO THE INSECT ARCHITECT. Roberto was a termite who wanted to be an architect but whose parents discouraged him; they wanted him to become a chef instead. He however decided to move away to the city where he couldn�t get any job. Prospective employers said he was disturbing them. So he decided to build houses for other insects. He walked around looking for land and found one with lots of wood and metal and that was what he needed to build. So he built every single day and night. When the Press realised that the environment was changing with nice-looking buildings but could not identify the buildre, they offered a reward to anybody who could find Roberto. One day a frog saw Roberto and took a picture of him and took it to the Press. Everybody wanted to interview him and millions of people offered him jobs. They even made a statue of him and put it in the central park of the city. Roberto became a very important person and a role model. From that story we learn never to give up on our dreams but to do all we can tachieve them. This film was very interesting and it had a very good message to pass to children. The audience really liked it.

“I like the film because it was passing a great message to children,” said Adima Mesa of the Children’s Jury.
Bakhita Mugoya of the Children�s Press said she liked the film because it teaches children to follow their dreams.

DAY II at Lola Kenya Screen 2007

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By Madline Awuor, 14, Class 8, Naivasha Central Primary School
“The second day of Lola Kenya Screen did not turn out as well as was expected despite the good films shown,” Mina Ogova of the Children’s Jury said.
The auditorium was packed to capacity in the afternoon as people came in to see OSKAR & JOSEFINE directed by Carsten Myllerrup of Denmark. The film appeared to have captured the audience so much there was total silence in the vast auditorium.
The film is full of suspense and action. Everyone seemed clueless of what was to happen after every part but gosh, the unexpected happened. Suddenly the lights went off, leaving the audience with great disappointment. It was not long before the lights were on again after the power blackout that had engulfed the Nairobi CBD. The audience was well set once more in order to push through their unaccomplished mission. Although this time they were watching the film with less comfort, they managed to finish it without any other electric power interruption.
Musa Ihiga, an animator from Kenya, attended the festival for two days. He has made a film called Stated Opinion.

“I am here to see the contents because it is about children so I can learn what is good in children’s films.”

Ihiga’s 3-minute films are screened every morning Tuesday through Friday. He said he wants to see how people will react to his productions.

“It is challenging to see what is being done by other animators since most of them are award-winning animators. It is also encouraging to see that children can produce something nice.”

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By Edwin A Onyango, 17, Form 4, Uhuru Secondary School
A power black-out halted the showing of the Danish film, OSKAR AND JOSEFINE. The time travel story was a hit with the audience as they showed up in large numbers to watch it, a reflection of the fantasy film phenomenon that draws people to cinemas.
The film had a great setting, detailed period costumes, and acceptable visual effects. The electric power blackout lifted a few minutes and the programme continued without any further hitches.
It was followed by a series of short films from the Polish Blue Bear series. Next was a Ugandan film, FATE, which squeezes themes of AIDS, domestic violence and single parenting into one. The typical African social awareness film fails to break new ground in African cinema.
A final exhibition is poor acting from the supporting cast, ineffective directing and very flawed editing. The only thing the obviously made-for-television movie achieves over local productions is length, an uncomfortable two hours.
As with many local productions, the director’s name appears in many of the credits. It even has misspelling in the sub-titles and at time actors can be seen staring at the camera which makes for overall bad filmmaking. This is a lesson on how not to make a film.

DAY I at Lola Kenya Screen 2007

By Melisa Akumu, 12, Class 7, Nairobi South Primary School
Lola Kenya Screen, eastern Africa�s first and only film festival for children and youth, opened in Nairobi on August 6, 2007 to great expectations.
Though all the programmes of Lola Kenya Screen, film exhibition, film production workshop, market, children’s jury, children’s press, programme presentation, began at 9.00 am, it was not till 5.00 pm that the official opening took place.
The two chief guests at the event were Jorge Celis of the Embassy of Mexico in Kenya and Millie Odhiambo of The CRADLE: The Children�s Foundation in Nairobi.
Celis, the officer in charge of political, economic and public affairs, was accompanied by his wife. He described Lola Kenya Screen as ‘great success. It has received 265 films from 47 countries.’ However, he said, Lola Kenya Screen ‘has to bring in more children to benefit from the many films on show.’
Holder of three master;s degrees in economics, development studies and international studies, Celis said he was �happy with what Lola Kenya Screen is doing for children. This is because it is promoting films made by children for children.’

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Celis was particularly excited about Lola Kenya Screen, he said, �because it is unique in Africa; it is the only stand-alone film festival for children in Africa.
On her part, Odhiambo, a lawyer who manages The CRADLE that champions the rights of children, said, “Lola Kenya Screen is a wonderful idea. It enables children to express themselves, learn from different cultures and participate in what is going on. The films you show are nice, entertaining, informative and tell stories about different world cultures.”
The executive director was accompanied by a battery of lawyers to the function who all pledged to do everything possible to defend the rights of children who Odhiambo described as ‘stars of tomorrow’,  Children, are vulnerable and need protection and love,” Odhiambo said.
It was not till after 8.00 pm that the guests started leaving with broad smiles. Without any doubt, it appeared the day had been successful.

By Madline Awuor, 14, Class 8, Naivasha Central Primary School
The opening of the 2nd Lola Kenya Screen took place at Goethe-Institut, Nairobi, Kenya, on August 6, 2007.
The festival runs 9.am to 8.00 pm daily. The first day was important since it was observing the second edition of the festival. To better the celebration, a party was held at about 5pm. VIPs from different parts of the globe who recognise children as the next generation were invited to share in this special moment.
Maikki Kantola, a filmmaker from Finland who is facilitating the film production workshop said she was in Kenya to assist in running the film workshop.
She said she had been running all kinds of workshops and lately has been working on animation films. Her goal is to make at least one film but if the children will be many then she can make at least three. She advises the young, up-and-coming filmmakers that if they really want to be great filmmakers they have to believe in it and love it.

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“If you think it is a fashionable thing of fame, just forget it,” she said.
Joel Sebunjo, a musician from Kampala, Uganda was also at the festival. He says he does world music of late. It is because of his special interest in film that made him attend the festival. He was in Kenya also in 2006. His expectations are to attend workshops and learn more in making films and sound tracks. He is also looking forward to a bigger festival this year and thinks that Lola Kenya Screen should introduce silent movies screened with live sound tracks.
Believing that he will enjoy the films he leaves us with this: “Films are good, enjoyable and educative to both children and youth.”
The Children’s Press had an interview with Jean Paul Mbonimana from Rwanda. He is a film director, cameraman and script-writer. He is in Kenya to participate in and meet many producers and other filmmakers and share ideas. He is also anxious to see how the Children�s Jury will judge his film, MY GUITAR, that will be screened on Thursday.

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The film talks about the youth and their day-to-day activities and challenges.
Although he has never worked with children, he says he has scripts that he would like to make with children. ï”I think Lola Kenya Screen is a good idea as it helps talented children to identify and nurture their talent while still young.”
On the other hand the chief guest of the festival, Millie Odhiambo, executive director of the CRADLE Foundation said, “I think what Lola Kenya Screen has come up with is a terrific idea because it enables children to learn other cultures and to participate fully. We acknowledge Lola Kenya Screen and are always ready to support them.”
Despite the hard work lawyers do, Odhiambo has decided to work with The CRADLE in fighting for children’s rights.
She said, “My mother taught me how to take care of children and took care of me too,”
Andreu Gual from Spain working in the film sector in East Africa, said he would soon be making short films in which children would take part.
The directors, producers and audience were happy and enthusiastic about Lola Kenya Screen that recognises children and is working hard to better the up-and-coming generation.

By Melisa Akumu, 12, Class 7, Nairobi South Primary School
Lola Kenya Screen, also referred to as Lola Kenya Children�s Screen, is an annual international audiovisual media event for children and youth presented by ComMattersKenya. This is an arts, culture, communications and development organisation based in Nairobi.
Lola Kenya Screen is not only a festival for showing children and youth films but also a place where they exploit their talent.
Lola Kenya Screen 2007 received 270 films from 47 countries spread across all the continents. Lola Kenya Screen Children�s Jury�s obligation is to watch and judge films. Programmes Presenters announce events and films. One of them, Samantha Wangui, a six-year-old girl, says Lola Kenya Screen is fun.
�I get to meet new friends every day. I feel happy when I announce something in front and people clap for me. I expect to get a certificate because I work hard,� she said.

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The young girl has great confidence in herself and encourages other children to believe in themselves. Lola Kenya Screen 2007 also has a production workshop under the guidance of Maikki Kantola who specialises in children�s media and has worked with Pirkanmaa Film Centre in Tampere, Finland since 2002. The children will make three films at the end of the festival.
Apart from promoting culture and making children participate in what is going on, Lola Kenya Screen is a place where they exploit their talents. In Lola Kenya Screen, one also watches children�s films that may never reach Kenya’s public domain and also interact with other children from other towns in Kenya and other parts of the world.