Rafiki 12A

This film is Triple F-Rated

Celebrating the empowerment of women in the film industry. Read more >

From the archive

This film was last shown on 14 February 2022

“Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist, when love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety. A vibrant film buzzing with the kinetic chemistry between its two leads.

Despite being banned in Kenya for its bold approach to LGBTQ+ representation, Rafiki was the first Kenyan film to be screened in competition at Cannes film festival - where it received a lengthy standing ovation.

We are also screening our very own BFI Film Academy made film titled Dissonance ahead of the film. This was made as part of the BFI Film Academy 2020-2021 course at the Showroom Cinema.

Statement from the Young Programmers:

We wanted to include a range of films that portray a diverse scope of people. In doing this, we hope whoever is watching can relate with elements of the films to ensure everyone feels included, which is the main goal of our festival. The films we chose include people from different aspects of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as different backgrounds, races, and cultures. We feel like these films are authentic and represent the community well, rather than built on stereotypes and stigmas, allowing people to feel represented by what they see on screen.

Growing up as part of the LGBTQ+ community can often feel very isolating, especially when there is so little representation of those identities in mainstream media: Giving queer films and filmmakers a platform to tell their story allows queer people to see themself on screen and may help them realise they are not alone in how they identify or in what they are going through. In a society where LGBTQ+ media is often underrepresented or pushed to the side, we hope this season may help some people understand the importance of queer representation in film. Also creating a safe environment where people can be themselves no matter their identity is important to us, as some people may grow up without easy access to those spaces.