“Impossible not to celebrate”
— Variety
“Reminiscent of the early work of Spike Lee”
— Screen Daily
“Lively and full of vision”
— Vulture
“A milestone”
— NPR
BANNED IN KENYA…
CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD…
THIS AUGUST, DIRECTOR WANURI KAHIU’S EXTRAORDINARY, INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED LGBT ROMANCE,
A VIBRANT, HIP TALE OF FIRST LOVE, ARRIVES ON
DVD & DIGITAL
RAFIKI
Street Date: August 13, 2019
DVD/Digital: $24.95
Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes™ at 93%, This Groundbreaking 2019
Theatrical Release Arrives on DVD with Shae Xu’s Bonus Short Film, “Hudson”
SYNOPSIS
Bursting with the colorful street style and music of Nairobi’s vibrant youth culture, RAFIKI is a tender love story between two young women in a country that still criminalizes homosexuality. Kena and Ziki have long been told that “good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives” – but they yearn for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls encourage each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, Kena and Ziki must choose between happiness and safety.
Initially banned in Kenya for its positive portrayal of queer romance, RAFIKI won a landmark Supreme Court case chipping away at Kenyan anti-LGBT legislation. Featuring remarkable performances by newcomers Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva, RAFIKI, an official selection at Cannes and Toronto, was called “an absolute marvel of a film” by Leigh Monson of Birth.Movies.Death. and Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post wrote “For its formal simplicity and directness, Rafiki is a small revelation, not least because it marks the breakthrough of a filmmaker of such exhilarating, cheerfully courageous vision.”
BONUS FEATURES
Short Film: Hudson (Directed by Shae Xu | United States | English Language | 10 minutes) – In this Official Selection of NewFest 2018, a young divorced mother tries to reveal to her teenage son her new relationship with a woman.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Type: DVD/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
Running Time: 83 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Widescreen
Audio: 5.1 Surround Sound/2.0 Stereo
Language: English and Swahili with English subtitles
About Film Movement
Founded in 2002 as one of the first-ever subscription film services with its DVD-of-the-Month club, Film Movement is now a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. It has released more than 250 feature films and shorts culled from prestigious film festivals worldwide. Film Movement’s theatrical releases include American independent films, documentaries, and foreign art house titles. Its catalog includes titles by directors such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Maren Ade, Jessica Hausner, Andrei Konchalovsky, Andrzej Wajda, Diane Kurys, Ciro Guerra and Melanie Laurent. In 2015, Film Movement launched its reissue label Film Movement Classics, featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on Blu-ray and DVD, including films by such noted directors as Eric Rohmer, Peter Greenaway, Bille August, Marleen Gorris, Takeshi Kitano, Arturo Ripstein, King Hu, Sergio Corbucci and Ettore Scola. For more information, please visit www.filmmovement.com. Visit www.filmmovementplus.com for more information about Film Movement Plus, the new subscription streaming service from Film Movement.
