Two films from Kenya have been picked from a selection of 3500 entries to be shown during the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF).
The two films, an animation and full-length feature were selected from entries received from 136 countries in the 22-year-old festival becoming a serious competitor to some of the Western festival.
Usually known as the largest multi-disciplinary cultural festival in Africa, ZIFF is also known as the Festival of the Dhow Countries.
Subira, the award-winning feature film by Ravneet Sippy Chadha, was chosen to open the Festival on this year. Subira premiered in November last year at the Westgate Mall.
Stanslaus Manthi who is behind the nine-minute animation dubbed “Caged” was more than honored to featured in the prestigious event, five months after it premiered in Mashariki African Film Festival in Kigali, Rwanda.
Caged will also be in competition for the Golden Dhow in the feature film category.
“My animation was simply based on what I see in Kenyan society today,” says Manthi. “It’s nothing personal; it’s just a slice of life.”
The festival will end on June 14 after running for almost two weeks.
