Sam Kihiu and Frederick Indimuli star as William and Robert in The Green Card

Although dogged by a lack of funds, poor economy, and a deficient promotion and distribution network, Kenyan filmmakers are devising ways of overcoming these drawbacks in an attempt to make their audiovisual media sector as vibrant as that of Nigeria and Ghana.

Their partnership with the private sector is resulting in low-budget films shot, edited and launched in under 21 days. One such film is The Green Card that was completed in 17 days and launched at Goethe-Institut in Nairobi on February 13, 2004. Hailed by critics as a new approach to filmmaking in Kenya, the short feature is scripted and directed by Brutus Sirucha of the Film Production Department. The Green Card tells the story of two under-employed university graduates who, to escape poverty and hopelessness, set up a job recruitment bureau for thousands of other jobless people with promises of finding them jobs in Saudi Arabia. The two, Robert and William, collect a load of money in the form of registration fees from this venture with the aim of running away from Kenya for better prospects in the United States. As desperate jobseekers queue up for the job placement promises, they are unaware that the duo are processing their own tickets to wealth in the promised land through an outfit styling itself as Miracle Workers Green Card agency.

Pierre Makena as a Miracle Workers' Green Card receptionist

The film is an attempt at highlighting the hopelessness of unemployed Kenyans in Nairobi, their creative and often not-so-honest ways of coping with their plight, and the vulnerability of such people to greedy individuals with insatiable sexual and materialistic desires who prey on them. The film could also be taken as an indictment of society for being so much fixated on white-collar jobs. Sirucha says The Green card demystifies the myth that Kenyans cannot make films due to the astronomical costs of filmmaking. What with his film having cost a paltry Ksh350000 (about US$4375) and the goodwill of the government whose equipment and motor vehicles were used in the making of the film.

Sirucha used mainly volunteers as crew and cast members. "The majority of the crew and cast are amateurs who are committed to art and The Green Card gave them the opportunity to learn," Sirucha, a graduate of Puune Film and Television Institute of India, says. "This is an example of how Kenyans can be engaged in low-budget productions and still make quality films." With a cast of 150, Sirucha says The Green Card is "the cheapest film of its size ever shot in the history of cinema." Is it? But would it not be grossly misleading for any one to claim that it took a mere US$4375 to make the feature film without costing and quantifying the 'good will' that was put in the production? For instance, the time put in by the Film Production Department staff, the market rates of the film equipment, the motor vehicles, and other support in kind should be quantified to come up with a realistic figure of the production. Otherwise, claim some filmmakers, they could be unable to get any 'reasonable' amounts of money from donors who may use Sirucha's figure as the basis for funding Kenyan films

Mark Mutahi, a student at the University of Nairobi, wrote the script upon which Sirucha based the screenplay. Sirucha also scripted and doubled up as assistant director on Naliaka is going, a feature film that premiered at the 6th Zanzibar International Film Festival in 2003 before enjoying some theatrical releases in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. It has since been put on video and is selling in the country.

The Green Card is a commendable effort in putting 'ordinary' Kenyans on screen in an attempt to localise the screens of the East African nation that have been colonised by Western-mainly American and Australian-films, the feature should mirror the reality in Kenya. For instance, one could easily be misled into believing that male suspects are usually locked up by female police officers, or that suspects are remanded with their personal effects on them. What Kenyan Police cell is Green Card portraying in which dread-locked in-mates make music, complete with guitars, in jackets and with their shoes and caps on? The bar and Miracle Workers' Green Card agency arrest scenes do not appear to be convincing, as the 'police officers' executing the arrest do not appear as authoritative as they should.

Part of The Green Card crew on location at the Nairobi City Park

Lead actors Sam Kihiu (William) and Fredrick Indimuli (Robert) do their job well as does Sharon Keino as Vicky the "sugar mummy" whose role appears to be tailor-made. While Wangila Mulongo (Mambo) gives the film a comedic feel with his village innocence and ignorance, Louisa Sialo (police officer) does not do the already tarnished image of the Kenya Police any good with her sleepy, don't-care attitude. Did this happen by default or did Sirucha set out to direct the film in this manner? If The Green Card is to be consumed beyond the borders of Kenya, then some of the Nairobi Kiswahili in which it is rendered should be sub-titled in English. Such phrases include "some biashara", "Wacha!", "Sema nini wewe?", and "Wewe unakosa na unaanza kuleta mchezo hapa?".

Sirucha has no doubt that with the goodwill from Kenyans, the local film sector will succeed. He supports his assertion by the fact that Ashley Hair and Beauty Academy, Kuguru Food Complex, Kevian Limited, Nairobi Bottlers, and Cooperative Insurance Company supported the production in kind once it had taken off. "With such kindness, Kenyans can produce low-budget feature films for our broadcast stations to meet the envisaged 20 percent local content quota," he says. "The Green Card is an experiment on how thousands of Kenyans can be engaged in low-budget productions and yet fulfil the needs of the film industry."

Nelson Kuria, managing director of Cooperative Insurance Company, said his company was proud to be associated with The Green Card as part of its corporate social responsibility. "We are proud to be associated with anything indigenous as we derive our strength from the cooperative movement in Kenya." The Green card will be distributed mainly through shows in schools and colleges, and public exhibitions using mobile vans. "Although several free to air public television stations have promised to air the movie, this is currently not our target," Sirucha says. Once the film has been screened in Nairobi and its environs, the producers plan to take it around Kenya and then to world film festivals. Other low-budget feature films made in Kenya recently include Driving to Glory by Christine Bala, Dangerous Affair by Judy Kibinge, Naliaka is going by Albert Wandago, The price of a daughter and Behind closed doors by Jane Murago-Munene.

Meanwhile, Loved and Alive, a 60-minute video on love and commitment-with challenges of rape and abortion-has been released in Kenya. The pro-life video revolves around two young lovers who are beset with calamity amidst the whirlwind of their romance. The film is part of the Catholic Church's Paulines Africa Challenge and Change series. Produced with the aim of educating and motivating people to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids and care for people living with the dreaded infection, other titles in the series-in both English and Kiswahili-Include Think! Sex or love?, Please do not kill me, Why me? AIDS: A call to love, Hello, I'm here, and Be afraid…Be very afraid: AIDS is deadly.

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