Watu Wote: All of Us, or simply Watu Wote is a 2017 Kenyan-German, live-action short film directed by Katja Benrath, as her graduation project at Hamburg Media School. The film is based on a December 2015 bus attack by Al-Shabaab in Mandera, Kenya.[1] The film received critical acclaim, winning a Student Academy Award for Narrative,[2][3] and received an Academy Award nomination for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards.[4] Production faced difficulties when the crew's camera was stolen before filming had begun.[5]
| Watu Wote | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Katja Benrath |
| Written by | Julia Drache |
| Produced by | Tobias Rosen |
| Cinematography | Felix Striegel |
| Edited by | Julia Drache |
| Music by | Florian Hirschmann Elisabeth Kaplan |
Production company | Hamburg Media School |
Running time | 22 minutes |
| Countries | Germany Kenya |
| Languages | Swahili Somali |
Plot
editJua, a Christian living in Kenya, boards a chartered bus to visit a relative and is uncomfortable being surrounded by Muslim passengers. The bus is stopped by the violent terrorist group Al-Shabaab, whose members demand that the Muslims identify the Christian passengers.[6][7]
Cast
edit- Barkhad Abdirahman as Abdirashid Adan
- Faysal Ahmed as Hassan Yaqub Ali (Al-Shabaab Leader)
- Mahad Ahmed as Passenger
- Abdiwali Farrah as Salah Farah
- Charles Karumi as Issa Osman
- Alex Khayo as GSU officer
- Gerald Langiri as GSU officer
- Justin Mirichii as James Ouma
- Saada Mohammed as Astuhr
- Douglas Muigai as GSU officer
- Adelyne Wairimu as Jua
Reception
editCritical reception
editOn review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10.[8]
Awards and nominations
edit- Nominated: Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
- Winner: (Gold Plaque) Student Academy Award for Best International Film School - Narrative
- nominated for Best Live Action short film at the 90th Oscar awards.[9]
References
edit- ^ Dahir, Abdi Latif. "This Oscar-nominated film shows how terrorists put Kenya's religious harmony to test". Quartz. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
- ^ "2017 Student Academy Awards finalist". Academy. August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
- ^ "2017 Student Academy Award winners". 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- ^ "Kenyan film 'Watu Wote' nominated for an Oscar Award". The Star, Kenya. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
- ^ Kasumov, Aziza (2018-02-22). "How Oscar-Nominated Short 'Watu Wote' Was Inspired by True Events". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ "Watu Wote: All of Us". oscar.go.com. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
- ^ "Kenyan short film on Mandera bus attack nominated for Oscar Awards - Nairobi News". Nairobi News. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
- ^ "Watu Wote (All of Us) (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ "Kenyan short film on Mandera bus attack nominated for Oscar Awards". 24 January 2018.
External links
edit- Wote: All of Us at Hamburg Media School
- Watu Wote: All of Us at Hamburg Film Festival
- Watu Wote: All of Us at IMDb
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