Originally the film was meant to be a feature film of our award-winning short film KIBERA KID. I had worked on a feature length story for some years. Then, a few months before we intended to begin filming, violence broke out in Kibera after the disputed Kenyan presidencial elections of 2007.
Suddenly, everything changad - seemingly overnight. People were attacked, stores looted, houses burnt to the ground. We couldnt tell the story of Kibera without including the post election violence. After hearing about how a friend of mine, Evans Kangethe Kamau, had been affected by the violence, I decided to change the story. I combined some of the ideas in the feature length of KIBERA KID and the real events in Evans life.
Jah Hill, one of the local Kibera artists we were working with, spoke of togetherness supremacy. It was a slogan to mean that above all we need togetherness and unity. And other youths in Kibera picked up on it, saying it to each other. There was, and is a huge desire for unity and togetherness even though in the reality of Kibera it doesnt always happen. The film's title expresses this ambition/desire of the youth to live a life of togetherness and peace.
I chose to shoot in Kibera, because of the amazing expriences I had with the youth of Kibera while making my short film KIBERA KID in 2005. I saw first hand the talent and creativity that exists in Kibera yet that talent is not appreciated. I felt as if I were discovering a diamond in the rouge - this beautiful and amazing creativity that was going to waste. I wanted to tap into that talent and bring it out into the world.
So much. I want to expose the talents of Kibera to the world. I want the film to earn some income, and use a percentage of that income to help sustain our Kibera Film School. I want to get more opportunities for myself as a director. But above all, I want to move, touch and inspire the youth of Kibera and other slums - to show a different realm of possibilities to the youth. In some small way, I hope TOGETHERNESS SUPREME Hill have an impact on the youth of Kibera. So that in the next general election in Kenya in 2012, we dont have a repeat of the violence that engulfed, and almost destroyed Kibera and Kenya in 2007.
We first met in 2005 as I was preparing for the KIBERA KID short film. She helped our crew get a film license, insurance, and other vital production requirements. She was also a supporter of the work of Hot Sun Foundation and even made a cash donation. Yet our paths didnt cross that much in the next four years. She was very busy producing industrial films. Then when TOGETHERNESS SUPREME came closer to being shot, in early 2009, I contacted her only to find out that she was in the USA at the time and didnt have plans to come back to Kenya. Then one morning we were chatting on facebook and I told her more about the project. I sensed she was intrigued, and interested. I dont know exactly how it all worked out but she was interested enough to come back to Kenya to work on the project. It really felt like fate - that she was fated to work on this project. She said after TOGETHERNESS SUPREME was shot, she planned to return to the USA, but as of yet, she hasnt.
I shot my short film KIBERA KID on super16mm film, and was thinking of perhaps doing the same with the feature film. But the problem with film is that there are so few facilities to develop and edit film in Africa and none in Kenya. I wanted to make this film, as much as possible, in Kenya. I was thinking long and hard about the RED ONE. Finally I saw some footage shot on the RED, and was very impressed. I also appreciated the flexibility of the RED camera, and the unique look it creates. Its not video, but its not film either. It has clarity of image that I thought blended well with the almost documentary aesthetic of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME. Also the possibility of buying a camera for the price you usually have to pay to rent film equipment was very attractive. We have the possibility to do more projects since we own the RED ONE camera.
Film is a visual medium. How things look tells alot about the story and the characters. Its very crucial to your experience of the story and the world of the film. For me, cinematography is as crucial as the story, and the acting, but they must all be working together to make the film something special.
The environment of Kibera is always a physical challenge. Since so few amenities are there, you have to bring in everything. Most roads are dirt. There are few areas that you can reach by driving. Electricity and water are scarce and unreliable. Filming in Kibera, like living there, is a challenge. At the same time, the friendliness of the people, the human warmth, makes it quite bearable and even enjoyable in spite of all the physical challenges.
I think for any filmmaker starting out, the biggest thing is the gap between the money you need and budget you have. You are always playing with limitations, yet you dont want to limit yourself. Its a paradox of sorts. I think some of the biggest challenges came from the members of the crew who were not from Kibera. I think that they didnt fully realize how difficult it is to make a film of this scope. At times we almost had 100 extras, with a very limited budget. And I think at times, this was a source of miscommunication, with me as the director always pushing for more than some of the crew thought was possible. But in the end, somehow, we made it all work.
Im not sure, in the sense that, only time will tell. I know what Id like it to mean, though that is not necessarily the same thing. I would like it to be something that the people of Kibera enjoy and appreciate. Kibera is their home and it is their community, their friends and neighbours who are being seen on screen in TOGETHERNESS SUPREME. Id like it to provoke thought, debate, and reflection, especially on the important of peace and reconciliation.
I dont know if my vision actually changed. It was more like it adapted or shifted often to work around the challenges of shooting in Kibera, but also to utilize the new opportunities that came up - those happy accidents. I think being ready to adapt was a key life lesson that I learnt from TOGETHERNESS SUPREME.
Through a lot of input from the youth of Kibera, and the producer Mercy Murugi. We wanted to use authentic music, that either was from Kibera or played in Kibera. We used some quite obscure artists, obscure to the outside world but known in Kibera. Now tracking these musicians down, to get there permission, was a huge challenge for Mercy. At times I felt like letting go of some songs, just because it was so hard to get in touch with the artists. But we got all the songs we wanted, thanks to Mercys hard work. I think she has some great stories to tell about this.
The crew, mostly, came through Mercy. She did an amazing job of getting top-notch crew on a very limited budget. Without her, Im not sure if the film would be what it is today. She is an amazing producer.
Time will tell.
I would hope TOGETHERNESS SUPREME would encourage more filmmakers to tell stories about urban African life, and to do so with the best possible tools like a RED ONE or 35mm or even super16mm. To make quality films, that are truthful to the reality and authentic to modern urban Africa.
Ideas are germinating. Im noting them down, but still not sure Lets see what develops!
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