Kenyans Can Now Screen 'RAFIKI' for 7 Days, Making It Eligible for Oscars Bid
High Court Judge Wilfrida Okwany says she was "not convinced that Kenya is such a weak society that its moral foundation will be shaken by seeing such a film."
Wanuri Kahiu's RAFIKI is finally coming home.
The High Court has temporarily lifted the ban the Kenya Film Classification Board imposed to make way for an Oscars bid, Business Daily Africa reports. Kahiu recently sued the board and its head Ezekiel Mutua over the ban.
The film will be free to screen in theaters for seven days to "willing adults," allowing Kahiu and producers to fulfill the necessary requirements to submit it to the Academy as a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film, The Washington Post adds.
"I am crying," Kahiu tweets. "In a French airport. In SUCH Joy! Our constitution is STRONG! Give thanks to freedom on expression!!!! WE DID IT!"
Judge Wilfrida Okwany says in her ruling Friday that she was "not convinced that Kenya is such a weak society that its moral foundation will be shaken by seeing such a film." She also cited Kenyan artists who've had to flee the country and seek asylum because their work "went against the grain of societal expectations."
The Film Board released a statement, saying it would comply with the court orders, Buzzfeed News' Tamerra Griffin reports, but adds that "it is a sad moment, not only to the film industry, but to all Kenyans who stand for morality, that a film that glorifies homosexuality is allowed to be the country's branding tool abroad."
As Mutua and his board continues to stew in the enemy of progress pot, RAFIKI is set to screen at Prestige Cinema at Prestige Plaza from September 23 to 29 at the following times:
Sunday | 10:00 am
Monday/Tuesday | 1:15 pm
Wednesday/Thursday | 3:15 pm
Friday/Saturday | 12:50 pm
ICYMI: Listen To the Female Musician-Led Soundtrack of Wanuri Kahiu's 'RAFIKI'
