Award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair, who is known for helming such global hits as Salaam Bombay, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, and Monsoon Wedding, has onboarded directors Meena Nanji and Zippy Kimundu’s Our Land, Our Freedom, ahead of the film’s world premiere at IDFA.
IDFA takes place in Amsterdam from November 8 – 19 and the documentary feature will screen as part of the festival’s Frontlight strand.
“Ancestral voices are powerful indeed. We live in a world where colonization has robbed us of our land, but not our voices,” said Nair. “Our Land, Our Freedom is an epic and intimate film about the quest to consecrate the Mau Mau rebellion against British rule in Kenya. About time, I say. I am honoured to be the executive producer of the film, directed beautifully by Meena Nanji and Zippy Kimundu.”
Our Land, Our Freedom follows Wanjugu Kimathi, daughter of the legendary leader of the Kenyan Land and Freedom Army, or Mau Mau Rebellion, Dedan Kimathi. When the resistance figure was hanged by the British authorities in 1957 for possession of firearms, his body was dumped at an unknown location. Now, Wanjugu follows in her mother’s footsteps to look for her father’s remains. Over the course of the film, Wanjugu’s search becomes an investigation into British colonial atrocities including concentration camps and land theft that left hundreds of thousands of Kenyans destitute. Along the way, she meets Mau Mau veterans, families of others who lost their land, and inspiring activists. As her mission expands, Wanjugu transforms into a powerful advocate championing justice and land resettlement for those dispossessed.
Our Land, Our Freedom is produced by Eliane Ferreira for Muiraquitã Filmes, Meena Nanji for Twende Pictures, and Zippy Kimundu for Afrofilms International Ltd., in co-production with Gudula Meinzolt and Paulo de Carvalho for Autentika Films.
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