By KARI MUTU

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When the Kenya National Drama Festival introduced the film category in 2015, the students of Loreto Convent Msongari Secondary School in Nairobi decided to try their hand at filmmaking.

To the students’ delight, their two original films scooped several awards at the festivals of 2016 and 2017, and the school emerged overall winners in both years.

Furthermore, the two movies have now become the first production by a school to be premiered on the big screen.

Produced in collaboration with Sibasi Media, the films She Got Game and Boomerang premiered on June 2017 at the IMAX Cinema in Nairobi’s Garden City Mall.

“The drama festival awards gave us the confidence to present the films at IMAX,” said the school’s principal, Magdalene Mbugua. The shows were sold out as teachers, parents, university media students and the general public flocked to watch the double show.

Some of Loreto Convent Msongari students at the premiere on June 24, 2017. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG

The premiere, a red carpet event, was organised in partnership with K24 television and Capital FM radio station, the latter represented by renowned Kenyan actor and radio presenter, Makbul Mohammed.

Renowned Kenyan actor and radio presenter, Makbul Mohammed with Loreto Convent Msongari principal Magdalene Mbugua at the premiere on June 24, 2017. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG

The students of Msongari drama club and the cast and crew members — in evening gowns and professional makeup provided by the French cosmetics franchise Madora Kenya —had a celebrity reception when they arrived at the IMAX. The hosts of the evening were the management of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).

Ezekiel Mutua, the chief executive of KFCB, praised the Msongari drama club for their hard work, teamwork, resilience, patience and tolerance in the execution of their projects.

“KFCB is happy to see films with social values featuring in the national drama festival,” said Mr Mutua, commenting on the subject matter of the two films.

Recognition

In the lead-up to the movie, premiere, the drama students got a taste of the media attention that comes with successful film productions. They received invitations to speak at radio shows and give live television interviews as part of the media promotions.

Earlier this month, Loreto Msongari participated in the annual Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), the largest film event in East Africa. This year, ZIFF introduced a new category of submissions open to film students from across Africa.

“We got a surprise letter informing us that we had been nominated to join the Zanzibar festival, probably because of the drama festival wins,” said Ms Mbugua.

During the June film premiere at the IMAX cinema, the Kenya Film Classification Board surprised the Loreto team by issuing airplane tickets for four of their members to travel to Zanzibar for the film festival.

Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) chief executive officer Ezekiel Mutua (centre) congratulates and presents an airfare ticket Molly Muthama to attend the Zanzibar International Film Festival on June 24, 2017. Looking on is Loreto Convent Msongari principal Magdalene Mbugua. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG

At the ZIFF workshops, the Msongari students had the chance to interact with international filmmakers and learnt new skills in film production.

Loreto Msongari now plans to continue to nurture student talent in both film and theatre production. “We also hope we can showcase at more international film events,” says Ms Mbugua.

The productions

The film Boomerang is the story of a student, Koi, who has just joined the high school and quickly becomes popular for her charismatic personality. She befriends Naz, a reclusive student, but Koi’s motive for the friendship is sinister and threatens the stability of the school community.

The poster for Boomerang. PHOTO | COURTESY

This is a story of youth isolation, peer pressure and the religious radicalisation of young people. The subject matter was influenced by the 2014 attack of the Garissa University College in Garissa, northeastern Kenya by the Somalia-based terrorists Al Shabaab.

She Got Game, produced in 2016, centres around the Swans, a high school basketball team whose coach has recently passed away. The school’s board of directors decides it cannot afford to hire a replacement, which leaves the team floundering until one of the students takes up the tough role of coaching her fellow students.

The sleeve jacket of the movie She Got Game. PHOTO | COURTESY

“It’s about diligence, resilience and discipline when there are obstacles in life,” said Ms Mbugua, a firm believer in the Loreto vision of holistic education.

The drama teacher

Before 2015, the Msongari drama club, called the Musketeers, did not have a drama teacher and were unable to participate in the national schools’ festivals as the administration struggled to find a qualified teacher.

This changed with the arrival of drama teacher Clifford Ouma, who has given a new lease of life to the Musketeers and boosted their performance standards. Mr Ouma achieved recognition as the drama director of student Daniel Owira who shot to national fame after performing the narrative Otongolo Time for President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013 as part of the winners’ presentation at State House, a tradition of the National Drama Festival.

All the Msongari film projects are managed by members of the Musketeers drama club. “The girls discuss the year’s theme for the festival and put forward ideas for a new story,” said Ms Mbugua.

Members of the Musketeers drama club relaxing between shoots. PHOTO | COURTESY

With the assistance of their drama teachers, the girls turn their concepts into a script. Afterwards, they work with professional filmmakers to refine the technical aspects and to arrange the story into an orderly sequence of events.

Auditions

Members of the Musketeers club then audition to play the various roles and teachers are cast in adult roles in keeping with festival guidelines that learners should not be used to play adult characters.

“We involve parents, teachers and even alumni in the film production,” said Ms Mbugua, who played the part of the school principal in She Got Game.

Kenyan media personality and Msongari alumnae, Julie Gichuru was cast as the head of the school board in the film while drama teacher Ouma was the chief villain in Boomerang.

Other students take up cinematography functions such as the lighting, sound, script continuity and directing, which exposes them to the varied aspects of film production.

Members of the Musketeers drama club during a shoot. PHOTO | COURTESY

Ms Mbugua notes that several of the students are now considering careers in acting or film studies. Actress Lupita Nyong’o, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for the movie 12 Years a Slave, is a former student of Loreto Msongari.

Training

In 2015, the Kenya Film School was established in Nairobi by the government to nurture talent in cinematography.

In the West, national and private film schools are the training grounds for successful professionals in television production, commercial films and video game development.

KFCB’s Mr Mutua cited Nigeria’s film industry as a clear testimony of the potential of the creative sector to create jobs and showcase culture. “Currently, Nollywood is the second-largest contributor to Nigeria’s gross domestic product, behind oil,” he said at the premiere.

Most of the scenes for the Msongari films are shot on the school grounds, using easily available props and costumes. But suitable external venues were found to shoot some scenes and unusual props such as the sleek vehicle featured in She Got Game had to be hired.

Screen acting is growing the talent and confidence of the drama students in new ways. Samantha Wanjiru, who played a lead role in Boomerang, revealed that she cannot swim yet had to act in a scene where she was being tortured inside a swimming pool. She had to learn how to swim.

Molly Muthama (left) and Samantha Wanjiru, lead actors in Boomerang, at the premiere on June 24, 2017. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG

Throughout the films’ production, the young filmmakers have to strike a balance between academics and the drama club so that their grades do not suffer, a concern of both their parents and teachers.

If this happens, a student may be asked to quit the club. Sometimes, the Musketeers work at night to shoot scenes but they are still expected in class the following day at the usual time with other students.

However, Ms Mbugua says that screen productions are less demanding on the school timetable, that a movie can be shot in a matter of days as opposed to the several weeks leading up to a play performance.

“The films chosen are also based on more realistic themes and are closer to real life situations than a stage drama,” she says.

For the theatre screening at IMAX Garden City, the school had to convert the original films into a format suitable for the big screen. The quality of the footage in Boomerang is slightly grainy and not as good as that of She Got Game, but other elements of the film stand out such as the conflict, characters and the relevance of the storyline.