After a successful week-long public screenings to communities in Kakuma and Daadab refugee camp, the annual FilmAid festival is back in Nairobi .

The festival in its 11^th year is set to showcase films and hold panel discussions with various stakeholders in the film industry and humanitarian organisations from 17^th to 22^nd September in Nairobi.

This will be followed by the highlight of the festival – FilmAid Festival Award gala dinner.

This years showcase will include screening of 50 selected films in strategic areas within Nairobi targeting urban refugees, Kenyans as well as the international community.

This year, the festival received over 1400 submission from creative storytellers, artists, filmmakers, journalists and photographers across the globe.  

Speaking on the project, FilmAid Executive Director said, "We are thrilled with the submissions we got this year, the numbers improved significantly and this shows our commitment and vision of informing, inspiring and empowering refugees and marginalized populations is bearing fruit".

This year’s theme for the festival is My story. My voice. Your move.” a non-confrontational demand for dialogue, and is a self-confident assertion that refugee voices be included in any dialogue about their lives and their future.

The theme also captures the dynamism, determination and ‘swag’ of FilmAid’s remarkable Media training Class of 2018.

The film festival is held annually and it strives to fulfill FilmAid’s vision of informing, inspiring and empowering refugees and other marginalized populations throughout the world.

Through FilmAid’s extensive programming in Nairobi, Kakuma and Daadab, each year, FilmAid is able to train, support and empower more than 100 refugee youth to tell their own stories through the power of film.

This year’s festival will see around 14 student films from Kakuma and Daadab showcased. These include 6 fiction films and 8 documentaries.

The refugee films will additionally be shared through FilmAid’s online platforms, including the website, YouTube, Vimeo and linked through social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), and international film festivals.

Nigerian star Tiwa Savage has taken to social media to express her frustration after being left stranded at a Nairobi hotel with unpaid bills, this comes just hours after she attended Redsan's 'Baddest' album launch at the KICC where she was also among the performers.

The singer went ahead to explain how the promoters failed to pick her calls even after making several calls.

There was also no vehicle to take her to the airport.

Tiwa tweeted “Checking out of the hotel and full accommodation not paid for, no car to take us to the airport and promoters want to talk trash about artists” 

She went ahead to state “Funny how everyone is asleep and phones are off after the show but they blow up your phone when they need you for radio and press runs before the show”.

She however maintained her love for Kenya and fans "I love KENYA always have and always will'.

"We shall still continue in this though because the fans deserve better regardless of what happens behind the scenes".

There has been no word from Redsan and the organisers of the event concerning Tiwa's misfortunes so far.

Avril has just released her latest video dubbed 'In Love'.

In Love is an Afro pop song that speaks to all the couples, it has been  written by Tommy Flavour.

Watch the video below.

The team that brought you the most successful TV pilot in this country’s history #BecauseLove with more than 1.1 Million views online across Africa, Tony Tini Tone Productions (TTT) presentsTHE MONEY THAT MADE HIM POOR.

A new theatre production directed and written by award-winning acclaimed writer and producer Tina Nduba.

The play that tackles themes of Greed, Power and Family is set to premiere this September with 12 shows lined up at the Louis Leakey Auditorium from 27^th - 30^th Sept .

TTT has assembled a star-studded cast including respected actors like Benson Ochungho who has more than 18 years’ experience in acting and has been featured on top Kenyan shows and Lucy Mwachala the experienced veteran who has been featured in several notable platforms including Phoenix Players.

Fairly newcomers on the acting front and high profile media influencers Noah Chiruyi, Sean Andrews and Anne Mwaura host of 'The Fuse' on Capital FM join in on the cast team.

Multi-talented artiste Pascal Tokodi, the star of Selina on Mnet will be hosting all the shows with acoustic performances by top songstress of the “Nairobi” hit fame: Mayonde.

Ahead of its premiere , Mwangi Njanja, Head of Creative at TTT says, “We are a bunch of Kenyans who are passionate about telling African stories through the creation of some of the best shows in the country"

"This is a bona fide hit show of 2018 as we have assembled the tip-top talent in the country drawn from the fields of acting, writing, PR, photography, audiovisual and media personalities,” he added

Even though this  is a theatre production, its promotions are going all out the movie kind.

Already its trailer has been shot and directed by the award-winning Kenyan filmmaker Mbithi Masya of the acclaimed Kenyan film: “Kati Kati”, with the promo images of the cast members shot and directed by celebrity photographer Tintseh.

SYNOPSIS

THE MONEY THAT MADE HIM POOR is a story of WB played by Noah Chiruyi an acting prodigy who is sure to take the acting scene in Kenya by storm. 

WB is a young man who is forced into Nairobi’s way of corruption and backdoor deals. After the death of his father, he is forced to choose between Family and Fortune. 

Ann Mwaura plays Sofia, the daughter of a corrupt billionaire with Sean Andrews playing Melphon, one of Sofia’s best friends who is scheming for wealth.

Lucy Mwachala plays Ma, Benson Ochung’o plays Sam and Barbra Nyambura plays Tabitha – the accountant. Mildred Sakina who plays Betina from the TV show #becauselove introduces the fact that THE MONEY THAT MADE HIM POOR is a 5-year prequel to #becauselove.

Kenyan female singer and songwriter  Viola Karuri has partnered with Tanzanian artist Barnaba in her latest single dubbed 'Leo'.

Viola is famous for her swahili adaptation of the world's most watched song on YouTube 'Despacito'.

Watch her latest video below

Major Lazer debut a brand new Afrobeats Mix, featuring Sauti Sol’s "Live and Die in Afrika". In the mixtape, Major Lazer blend music from across the continent and lend their global platform to trendsetting African artists and their longtime inspirations and collaborators, as well as teasing new music.

The band is set to tour Africa in September and October, with dates in Kenya, South Africa, Malawi (where they are performing alongside Sauti Sol at Lake of Stars Festival), Ethiopia and Uganda.

Additionally a new song, 'All My Life,' featuring Nigerian vocalist Burna Boy has been released today.

The song comes alongside a Lagos, Nigeria-shot video directed by South African filmmaker Adriaan Louw. “All My Life” is the first of a handful of collaborations with African artists coming this fall.

“Over the past few years we’ve had the chance to tour extensively and work with artists across Africa,” says Diplo. 

“These music scenes continue to inspire the music we make and sets we play. We wanted to bridge our music as Major Lazer with all these new sounds and genres coming out of Africa. From Babes Wodumo the Queen of Gqom to our brother Mr. Eazi, who is taking over the globe with each release, to new voices Kizz Daniel and legends like Burna Boy, two of our favorite songwriters coming out of Nigeria".

"Major Lazer has been fairly quiet in 2018 on the touring and music front, but this is the beginning of what will come next for us. I'm excited to share these four songs with you and the videos that our director made are some of the best we have ever put out.”

While in Africa, Major Lazer will also work with VETPAW (Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife) to combat poaching in South Africa and beyond.

'All My Life' follows collaborations with Cashmere Cat, Tory Lanez and Rudimental and 2017’s critically acclaimed Know No Better EP.

Rafiki film producer Wanuri Kahiu and the Creative Economy Working Group (CEWG) have filed a constitutional petition challenging the decision of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) and its CEO - Ezekiel Mutua - to ban the film in Kenya.

The petition argues  that the ban is against freedom of expression, freedom of artistic creativity and goes beyond the limitations stated in Article 33 (2) of the Constitution of Kenya.

On April 26^th 2018, the Board’s CEO notified Wanuri Kahiu of the Board’s decision to censor the film Rafiki as she declined to remove what it defined as offensive classifiable elements.

"As filmmakers, creatives and story tellers we believe in the intrinsic value of our work. We believe that freedom of expression is the cornerstone of any democracy.The unreasonable and unjustifiable censorship of films infringes on our rights of freedom of expression and freedom of the media as enshrined and guaranteed in the Constitution of Kenya." noted the petitioners.  

They added "The right to freedom of expression has been anchored in regional and international human rights instruments signed and ratified by Kenya such as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which Kenya is obligated to respect, promote and fulfil".

The petitioners are challenging 12 sections of the Film and Stage Plays Act and the Kenya Film and Classification Board Classification Guidelines, 2012.

They argue the sections criminalize free expression through film, limit freedom of film makers to seek, receive or impart information or ideas, restrict freedom of artistic creativity and limit freedom of expression.

“Sections of the Films and Stage Plays Act, CAP 222 are a threat to free speech and media freedom. They limit the freedom of artists to impart information and restrict freedom of artistic creativity, contrary to the constitutional limits of freedom of expression”, said Wanuri.

The petitioners also want the application to suspend the respondents’ decision to restrict the film pending hearing and determination of the petition.

Under a Certificate of Urgency, the petitioners want the Court to grant a Conservatory Order allowing the lifting of the ban to enable the Oscars Selection Committee Kenya to consider the film for entry to the Academy for the Best Foreign Language Film category award at the 2019 Oscars.  Without lifting the ban the film cannot be considered for selection. The entries close on 30^th September, 2018.

On the issue of the Oscars, Wanuri adds “this isn’t about me personally. It’s about the freedom for all industry players to tell the stories they want to tell and not to be censored. The world is quickly becoming a village and the film industry is worth more than USD 30 billion globally. The opportunities for more Kenyans especially the youth to participate in this sector is immense. We should not let colonial laws stop us from achieving this.”

The petition which was filed on Tuesday 11th September awaits conservatory orders as the Judge gives the other parties the chance to respond.

At a court hearing today, Justice Wilfrida Okwany ordered that KFCB be served and all parties to appear before her on Friday 14th September for directions.