THE LETTER
SHOWTIME
PRIMETIME | 1261FF21
Wed, Nov 3 | 7:00 PM (AST)
Kenya | 81 Minutes | Documentary
English, Swahili
Caribbean Premiere
A gripping family drama following a 94 year-old Grandmother with a fearless spirit who must overcome dangerous accusations of witchcraft that are coming from within her own family. Her grandson Karisa, travels home from the threatening letter and why.
Filmed with a gentle pace and incredible closeness, The Letter is an intimate family portrait that reveals an indestructible female power.
Karisa’s city-life is interrupted when his Grandma back home is called a witch on facebook. Returning to his rural village to investigate, he finds a frenzied mixture of consumerism and Christianity is turning hundreds of families against their elders, branding them as witches as a means to steal their ancestral land.
Karisa’s Grandma, Margaret, is a respected elder of her church, and spends her days cultivating her fields to feed her family. Karisa's uncles claim that Grandma is worshipping the devil, and demand she be exorcised by their Pentecostal priests. Karisa’s strong-willed Aunties, however, are doing everything they can to protect their mother. As Karisa delicately navigates between his disputing relatives, the love for his Grandmother must overcome the imminent danger of the accusations against her.
The inevitable universal theme of how land is divided when an elder dies, is entangled by the chaotic mixture of traditions of the past with the newly imposed influence of western values and religion. The understated power of women, alongside the resilience of family and community shines above all else, despite the growing threat of greed and inter-generational alienation.
Maia Lekow and Chris King
Maia Lekow (Kenyan) and Chris King (Australian living in Kenya for 13 years) are an award winning, husband and wife co-directing team. Their feature-documentary debut, The Letter, was filmed over 6 years at the coast of Kenya, and has been a profound journey of self-discovery especially for Maia, whose coastal heritage was an enigma for most of her life, having been born and raised in Nairobi city, some 600km away.
Maia is also a prominent Kenyan musician (performing with her band Maia & The Big Sky), and she has composed an original score featuring her hypnotising vocals woven into the rhythms and everyday sounds of the tropical landscape. Maia was named a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR in 2013 and received an African Movie Academy Award for her song ‘Uko Wapi” in 2009. Together with Chris's vivid cinematography, the duo have created an emotionally rich, multi-layered insight into the Kenya of today, which is sure to be bestowed as a centre-piece amongst East Africa's new wave of documentary cinema.
THE CREW
Director/Writer/Producer
Maia Lekow & Christopher King
Writer/Editor
Ricardo Acosta C.C.E.
Original Score
Maia Lekow & Ken Myhr
Cinematographer/Editor
Christopher King
Executive Producer
Judy Kibinge, Cynthia Kane, Peter Mudamba
Production Company
Circle & Square Films, Kenya
Impact Team
Samia Omar, Patience Baya, Sarah Mallia
Associate Producer
Biki Kangwana
Additional Editor
Angela Wamai