“Sincerely Daisy,” the first Kenyan feature film to premiere on Netflix has definitely solicited some very mixed reactions. One thing’s for sure, it is a trailblazer in its own right having been the first Kenyan produced and directed feature film to stream live on the popular platform. We caught up with Nick Mutuma, the producer and director of the film. The founder of Giraffe Africa Films has come a long way from starting out as an actor to building his vision as a mediapreneur, producer and director. He shares on his recent accomplishment with the KenyanVibe.
The noise on Twitter…
It’s so disheartening is all I can say for now. After years of toil, you’re celebrating new wins then this crops up and becomes the focus. As I’ve said before, I respect women and would not cross certain lines.
How would you describe the process of bringing this film to life from your perspective?
Intense. We had to work with a very tight schedule and correspond with certain members of the team virtually because of COVID-19 restrictions. This was tough for me – not to physically sit with the editor when working on the cuts and the flow. But all turned out great!
There was this particular day we had a shoot go for 24 hours straight because the production schedule had one week planned for shooting the entire movie. That’s why I say that it was intense. I’m glad we pulled it off though.
What was the greatest challenge you had to deal with in the entire process?
Post-production during the pandemic, having to piece a movie virtually.
What did it feel like – seeing your film go live on Netflix?
It still feels surreal. It shocks me to this day. I asked myself why I got the privilege, I don’t have an answer but I’m grateful to be here. What were our fans going to say? Would it be well received? Could we have done anything to make it better? Where some of the questions that ran through my mind at that moment.
It’s like having a baby, so many emotions go through your mind in that fraction of a moment. I’m grateful to our partners and our amazing crew for all the ways in which they worked to bring the vision to life.
What inspired the production of this film?
It’s the culmination of the reality show, “The Next Super Star” y StarTimes. We had thousands of participants and this is how we chose to crown the show.
What is your ultimate dream?
To build a studio where multiple productions can happen concurrently, a place where creatives can converge and make their dreams come true.
As Giraffe Africa Films, we want to keep pushing the boundaries of filmmaking. Most creatives are good at creating amazing products but aren’t very business savvy. I would like to build a platform that helps take care of the business aspect as others focus on building and thriving in their core gift.
What do you think of Tyler Perry?
He is my mentor, he just doesn’t know it yet, haha. His content is quite different from Hollywood narratives, yet he has created a niche for himself and thrived in it.
What do you think of the film industry in Kenya?
We are going through a bit of a coming of age. The narrative in the past was that there is no money to make film. But now, there are digital platforms that can help create revenue, so that’s a big plus.
Now we can do so much more with less.
So, yeah, I’m excited about the next generation of filmmakers because they see opportunities and fewer obstacles.
