Wanuri Kahiu

thumb|Wanuri Kahiu at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Wanuri Kahiu (born 21 June 1980) is a Kenyan film director, producer, and author. Quotes The courage that you have when you’re in love is really what I hope resonates. We need both serious and fun art if we want to capture the full range of human experiences. "The lions are speaking, or at least insisting on a way of expression that the hunter hasn’t quite heard before and the present couldn’t be a better time for the hunter to start to listen to that joy-filled language.” Being able to start and complete anything is an accomplishment. So when you start up a project, finish it. And finish it with Integrity. That is what i intend to do. Kenyans want to see good stories that are told well/ that is why many of us like Hollywood, Nollywood and Bollywood movies. That is why Supa Modo and Nairobi Half Life are Kenya's biggest films to date. Education taught me how to think critically and face challenges. You also learn how to interact with many different people. I believe that everything happens for when it’s meant to happen and you just need to trust and let go. I’d say the most challenging thing for me is my relationship with film. Having to commit to film knowing full well how much of a challenge it is, isn’t easy. As women, we have a responsibility, to tell the truth, and state facts. Now, there is a greater need for and diligence for honesty. We cannot be falsely accusing people. I think homophobia has spread through the world. But my argument is that homophobia is un-African I truly believe that the spirit of religious texts is communion and kindness and loving and treating each other the same every community in Kenya, regardless of how marginalised [they are], has the right to be in Kenya, and the right to hope, and they have to feel a sense of belonging because that’s their country The idea that Africa is sad, or deserves pity and sympathy. We want to push back to say we are joyful people and we deserve pride We deserve recognition of our success, rather than just attention to our obstacles When you push back [against] a system, you can be labelled a dissident or be labelled an agitator, and its almost analogous with being unpatriotic. But I think the most patriotic thing we can do is say that every single Kenyan exists and has the right to be, and every single story has the right to be told and the right to be heard We Truly Love Our Country” — An Interview with ‘Rafiki’ Director Wanuri Kahiu 24 May 2018 think that anytime you make real characters you will have depth, because you're talking about people who are a particular gender, class Interview: Wanuri Kahiu on 'Rafiki,' her inspirations and becoming an activist 22 April 2019 Growing up, I hadn’t seen many versions of me or many versions of Africans falling in love on screen, and that became really kind of painful to feel like you don’t exist in cinema I think that society kind of puts you in a box because of either your gender that you’re born into, the race or the religion that your family comes from You can think outside the box, you can be anything that you want to be, and you don’t have to subscribe to this idea in life that we’ve all been categorised into as women coming from that country RAFIKI – INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR WANURI KAHIU 15 April 2019 I think there are more instances of joy than remorse in Africa We will continue to fight against laws that have no place in our Kenyan society Wanuri Kahiu External links 1393967 Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Film directors from Kenya Category:Women from Kenya