A Kenyan high court on Friday lifted its ban on Rafiki, a film with an uplifting lesbian romantic storyline, clearing the path for the film to be the country’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at next year’s Academy Awards. 

High Court Justice Wilfrida Okwany temporarily lifted the restriction for just seven days, allowing Rafiki to be screened for “willing adults.” In her ruling, Okwany said, “I am not convinced that Kenya is such a weak society that its moral foundation will be shaken by seeing such a film.” She contextualized her concern over the ban as being part of a larger epidemic against free speech in Kenya.

Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu, who was born in Nairobi and studied producing and directing at UCLA’s school of theatre, was banned by Kenya’s Film and Classification Board (KFCB) back in April due to its central lesbian romance. Just afterward, the film made its debut to critical acclaim in May at the Cannes Film Festival. It gained further steam earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, where GLAAD first screened it. Tickets are on sale now for Kenyan audiences to finally go and see Rafiki

RAFIKI SHOWING EXCLUSIVELY AT PRESTIGE CINEMA
Sunday: 10.00am
Monday/Tuesday: 1.15pm
Wednesday/Thursday: 3.15pm
Friday28TH /Saturday 29TH: 12.50pm pic.twitter.com/WSlgViZa8B

— PrestigeCinema (@PrestigeCine) September 21, 2018

“Wanuri Kahiu has created a compelling and universal story which provides hope that all Kenyans one day will be free to live openly and celebrate the person they love,” said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis about the film. “The story of Rafiki is needed, not only to move more Kenyans to accept LGBTQ people but also, to shine a light on the truly unjust nature of criminalization laws against LGBTQ people in Kenya and other countries. The decision to screen the film in Kenya – enabling it to be considered as among the country’s best by the Academy Awards — is an important signal to the world that LGBTQ Kenyans will never be silenced.”

By allowing the film to play for seven days in theaters in Kenya, it will qualify to meet the Sept. 30th theatrical run deadline required by foreign films to be in considered in the running for a nomination at the 2019 Academy Awards. 

Kahiu was in an airport in France, en route to Los Angeles to further promote the film, when she learned the news about the stay on the ban.

I am crying. In a french airport. In SUCH Joy! Our constitution is STRONG! Give thanks to freedom of expression!!!! WE DID IT! We will be posting about Nairobi screening soon. Follow @rafikimovie

— Wanuri (@wanuri) September 21, 2018

Rafiki is a love story between two young women (played by newcomers Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva) in a society that still bans homosexuality. The film is saturated with joy, heartbreak, and a richly effervescent cinematography that showcases Kahiu’s native Nairobi in all its vibrancy.

When Kena and Ziki first lock eyes, it’s a genuine coup de foudre despite the fact their families are political rivals. The young women grow close, but as they are not able to show their attraction in public — or even to their relatives and friends — they are forced to sneak small moments in private. Together they create their own world, vividly evoked through Kahiu’s filmic eye, where their love isn’t anything other than an expression of their commitment to each other. The space they create, however, isn’t immune to the biases of the outside world.

Following the announcement of their Opening Night Film, Yen Tan’s award-winning AIDS drama 1985, NewFest today announced the full lineup of their 30th annual celebration of the year’s best LGBTQ films from around the world. The program of more than 140 narrative features, documentaries, episodic series and shorts runs from October 24-30 at the SVA Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, and The LGBT Community Center in New York City.

This year’s festival will include a Spotlight Screening & Conversation of Dir. Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson’s multiple award-winning TRANSMILITARY presented in partnership with GLAAD. This special screening of TRANSMILITARY will take place on Sunday, October 28th at 5pm ET.

This year’s NewFest will feature several other galas and special screenings, including the New York Centerpiece screening of Ondi Timoner’s MAPPLETHORPE, starring Emmy^®-nominee Matt Smith (“Doctor Who”, THE CROWN) about the iconic queer artist; and the U.S. Centerpiece screening of Joel Edgerton’s BOY ERASED, starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton, Troye Sivan, Cherry Jones, Flea and Xavier Dolan.

Boy Erased – Courtesy of Focus Features

Other gala presentations include the International Centerpiece and New York premiere of Wanuri Kahiu’s groundbreaking love story RAFIKI, which screened at Cannes and was banned in its home country of Kenya for depicting a relationship between two young women, and the New York City premiere of Documentary Centerpiece film DYKES, CAMERA, ACTION!, which will be followed by a conversation on female representation in the film industry and lesbian visibility in cinema.

The festival will close on October 30th with the New York premiere of Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon’s documentary MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT, which is co-directed by the late Hollywood star’s nephew and features exclusive archival footage and audio interviews from the family’s archives.

Continuing its long tradition of working with many New York City organizations, this year NewFest partnered with over 100 organizations across the city to bring audiences some of their most exciting programs, including HIP TO BE QUEER: Youth Shorts, presented by the NYC Department of Education and in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment;, and a screening of CONVERSATIONS WITH GAY ELDERS: DANIEL, a new film from NewFest alum David Weissman (WE WERE HERE, THE COCKETTES), presented in partnership with The Generations Project. 

Rafiki

“Looking back at our history and the voices which shaped our community over 30 years is as important as focusing on emerging filmmakers and stories,” said NewFest Executive Director Robert Kushner. “This year’s slate of films, from anniversary screenings to the powerful lineup of contemporary cinema from international and domestic filmmakers, all serve as beacons of representation along our journey from the AIDS crisis in the 80’s to the current geopolitical challenges–and ultimately the next 30 years where full representation and acceptance of our community is in place.”

“As an art form, film has always illuminated the world around us and has been an integral part of our progression as a society,” said Director of Programming Lucy Mukerjee. “LGBTQ content creators are continuing to use their vision to help build a more inclusive world. We are so proud to bring together this exceptional showcase of work for the 30th-anniversary edition of NewFest.”

This year’s edition continued in the tradition of receiving submissions from around the world, with films and episodic programming coming from 32 countries. In addition, 60% of content is by and about underrepresented voices (Women, People of Color, Trans, Bi and Differently Abled). Overall, the festival will screen 46 feature-length films (including over 80% of feature works from first-time feature filmmakers, such as, Caroline Berler Tchaiko Omawale and Jonah Greenstein), 89 shorts and 9 episodic series, including the French Canadian production FÉMININ/FÉMININ by Chloé Robichaud, for a total of 144 selections. The US Narrative, International Narrative and Documentary Feature sections will include 10 films in each group, with 18 countries represented, including new works from Canada, Brazil, Germany, Finland, Norway, Peru, Switzerland, Colombia, South Africa, Paraguay, Uruguay, France, Kosovo, Spain, Sweden, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“The ever-increasing vibrancy of international LGBTQ filmmaking elevates us all and this year’s festival entries are a strong statement that the issues of representation and inclusion are being addressed by our community all over the world,” said NewFest’s Programming and Operations Manager Nick McCarthy. “With so many international filmmakers tackling social, political and personal issues in their own cultures, it’s thrilling to be able to expose our New York audience to these important and life-changing stories and invite them to experience new perspectives through the power of cinema.”

The International Narrative Features section includes the New York premieres of Anne Fontaine’s Venice Film Festival Queer Lion winner REINVENTING MARVIN (featuring a turn by Isabelle Huppert as…Isabelle Huppert) and 2018 Berlinale Teddy Award for Best Feature winner HARD PAINT from Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon (NewFest alums for 2016’s “The Nest”), as well as 2018 Berlinale Teddy Award for Best First Feature winner RETABLO from Alvaro Delgado Aparicio. Other premieres include the New York premiere of two films submitted for next year’s Academy Awards^®: Marcelo Martinessi’s THE HEIRESSES from Paraguay and Blerta Zeqiri’s Kosovoan entry THE MARRIAGE; as well as Jamie Patterson’s TUCKED, another New York premiere, which picked up multiple awards at this year’s Outfest, including the Best Narrative Audience Award and the International Feature Grand Jury Prize which it shared with HARD PAINT.

Making Montgomery Clift

This year’s Documentary Features section is particularly strong and features some of the best new trans and non-binary stories from the U.S. and around the world, including T Cooper’s MAN MADE, about trans fitness models, which picked up the Best Documentary Feature Audience Award at Outfest 2018, Kiko Goifman and Claudia Priscila’s BIXA TRAVESTY, about the political activism of black Brazilian transgender singer Linn da Quebrada (Teddy Award for Best Documentary/Essay Film, Berlinale 2018), and SIDNEY & FRIENDS, Tristan Aitchison’s look at an underground network of trans and intersex people fighting to survive on the edge of Kenyan society.

Also featured are the North American premiere of Gustavo Sánchez’s I HATE NEW YORK (Spain, 2018), which features New York nightlife luminaire Amanda Lepore; the East Coast premiere of Matt Alber and Jon Garcia’s ROOM TO GROW about what it means to be an LGBT teen in today’s world, and Jeff Kaufman’s EVERY ACT OF LIFE, a profile of multi-Tony Award^®-winning playwright Terrence McNally, featuring appearances by Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Bryan Cranston, Patrick Wilson, Angela Lansbury and Rita Moreno.

A hallmark of every NewFest is the bringing of new work to New York audiences, highlighting the emerging voices of queer cinema and 80% of the films in this year’s U.S. Narrative Features section are either New York, East Coast, or World premieres, and 8 of the 10 are from first or second-time filmmakers. In addition, in keeping with this year’s emphasis on inclusion, diversity and representation, 4 of the 10 films have female directors and 6 feature female leads.

NewFest’s commitment to bringing new films from around the world to New York audiences has never wavered and this year’s edition is no different. With the ever decreasing cost of technology and ever-increasing reach of the Internet, previously underrepresented countries and communities are finding their voices like never before. As a result, more and more films like Wanuri Kahiu’s RAFIKI, a story (written with Jenna Cato Bass) about the first love between two women in Kenya are seeing the light, as well as films like Christiaan Olwagen’s South African Apartheid-set musical CANARY and Ruth Caudeli’s EVA + CANDELA (Colombia), to name but a few.

Killer Unicorn

Of course, no NewFest would be complete without a few frightfully scary queer offerings and this year’s HalloKween sidebar is no exception! Featuring the New York Premiere of Drew Bolton’s KILLER UNICORN, a satirical stab at the slasher flick featuring a bevy of Brooklyn drag queens; NewFest alum Yann Gonzalez’s Cannes competition entry KNIFE + HEART (starring Vanessa Paradis); and the New York premiere of CARMILLA: THE MOVIE, based on the lesbian vampire web series sensation.

Continuing its long tradition of working with many New York City organizations, this year NewFest partnered with over 100 organizations across the city to bring audiences some of their most exciting programs, including HIP TO BE QUEER: Youth Shorts, presented by the NYC Department of Education and in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment; and a screening of CONVERSATIONS WITH GAY ELDERS: DANIEL, a new film from NewFest alum David Weissman (WE WERE HERE, THE COCKETTES), presented in partnership with The Generations Project.

Following the announcement of their Opening Night Film, Yen Tan’s award-winning AIDS drama 1985, NewFest today announced the full lineup of their 30th annual celebration of the year’s best LGBTQ films from around the world. The program of more than 140 narrative features, documentaries, episodic series and shorts runs from October 24-30 at the SVA Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, and The LGBT Community Center in New York City.

This year’s NewFest will feature several other galas and special screenings, including the New York Centerpiece screening of Ondi Timoner’s MAPPLETHORPE, starring Emmy^®-nominee Matt Smith (“Doctor Who”, THE CROWN) about the iconic queer artist; and the U.S. Centerpiece screening of Joel Edgerton’s BOY ERASED, starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton, Troye Sivan, Cherry Jones, Flea and Xavier Dolan.

Other gala presentations include the International Centerpiece and New York premiere of Wanuri Kahiu’s groundbreaking love story RAFIKI, which screened at Cannes and was banned in its home country of Kenya for depicting a relationship between two young women, and the New York City premiere of Documentary Centerpiece film DYKES, CAMERA, ACTION!, which will be followed by a conversation on female representation in the film industry and lesbian visibility in cinema.

Rafiki

The festival will close on October 30th with the New York premiere of Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon’s documentary MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT, which is co-directed by the late Hollywood star’s nephew and features exclusive archival footage and audio interviews from the family’s archives.

Continuing its long tradition of working with many New York City organizations, this year NewFest partnered with over 100 organizations across the city to bring audiences some of their most exciting programs, including HIP TO BE QUEER: Youth Shorts, presented by the NYC Department of Education and in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment; a Spotlight Screening & Conversation of Dir. Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson’s multiple award-winning TRANSMILITARY presented in partnership with GLAAD, and a screening of CONVERSATIONS WITH GAY ELDERS: DANIEL, a new film from NewFest alum David Weissman (WE WERE HERE, THE COCKETTES), presented in partnership with The Generations Project. GLAAD’s special screening of TRANSMILITARY will take place on Sunday, October 28th at 5pm ET.

TransMilitary

“Looking back at our history and the voices which shaped our community over 30 years is as important as focusing on emerging filmmakers and stories,” said NewFest Executive Director Robert Kushner. “This year’s slate of films, from anniversary screenings to the powerful lineup of contemporary cinema from international and domestic filmmakers, all serve as beacons of representation along our journey from the AIDS crisis in the 80’s to the current geopolitical challenges–and ultimately the next 30 years where full representation and acceptance of our community is in place.”

“As an art form, film has always illuminated the world around us and has been an integral part of our progression as a society,” said Director of Programming Lucy Mukerjee. “LGBTQ content creators are continuing to use their vision to help build a more inclusive world. We are so proud to bring together this exceptional showcase of work for the 30th-anniversary edition of NewFest.”

This year’s edition continued in the tradition of receiving submissions from around the world, with films and episodic programming coming from 32 countries. In addition, 60% of content is by and about underrepresented voices (Women, People of Color, Trans, Bi and Differently Abled). Overall, the festival will screen 46 feature-length films (including over 80% of feature works from first-time feature filmmakers, such as, Caroline Berler Tchaiko Omawale and Jonah Greenstein), 89 shorts and 9 episodic series, including the French Canadian production FÉMININ/FÉMININ by Chloé Robichaud, for a total of 144 selections. The US Narrative, International Narrative and Documentary Feature sections will include 10 films in each group, with 18 countries represented, including new works from Canada, Brazil, Germany, Finland, Norway, Peru, Switzerland, Colombia, South Africa, Paraguay, Uruguay, France, Kosovo, Spain, Sweden, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“The ever-increasing vibrancy of international LGBTQ filmmaking elevates us all and this year’s festival entries are a strong statement that the issues of representation and inclusion are being addressed by our community all over the world,” said NewFest’s Programming and Operations Manager Nick McCarthy. “With so many international filmmakers tackling social, political and personal issues in their own cultures, it’s thrilling to be able to expose our New York audience to these important and life-changing stories and invite them to experience new perspectives through the power of cinema.”

Making Montgomery Clift

The International Narrative Features section includes the New York premieres of Anne Fontaine’s Venice Film Festival Queer Lion winner REINVENTING MARVIN (featuring a turn by Isabelle Huppert as…Isabelle Huppert) and 2018 Berlinale Teddy Award for Best Feature winner HARD PAINT from Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon (NewFest alums for 2016’s “The Nest”), as well as 2018 Berlinale Teddy Award for Best First Feature winner RETABLO from Alvaro Delgado Aparicio. Other premieres include the New York premiere of two films submitted for next year’s Academy Awards^®: Marcelo Martinessi’s THE HEIRESSES from Paraguay and Blerta Zeqiri’s Kosovoan entry THE MARRIAGE; as well as Jamie Patterson’s TUCKED, another New York premiere, which picked up multiple awards at this year’s Outfest, including the Best Narrative Audience Award and the International Feature Grand Jury Prize which it shared with HARD PAINT.

This year’s Documentary Features section is particularly strong and features some of the best new trans and non-binary stories from the U.S. and around the world, including T Cooper’s MAN MADE, about trans fitness models, which picked up the Best Documentary Feature Audience Award at Outfest 2018, Kiko Goifman and Claudia Priscila’s BIXA TRAVESTY, about the political activism of black Brazilian transgender singer Linn da Quebrada (Teddy Award for Best Documentary/Essay Film, Berlinale 2018), and SIDNEY & FRIENDS, Tristan Aitchison’s look at an underground network of trans and intersex people fighting to survive on the edge of Kenyan society.

Also featured are the North American premiere of Gustavo Sánchez’s I HATE NEW YORK (Spain, 2018), which features New York nightlife luminaire Amanda Lepore; the East Coast premiere of Matt Alber and Jon Garcia’s ROOM TO GROW about what it means to be an LGBT teen in today’s world, and Jeff Kaufman’s EVERY ACT OF LIFE, a profile of multi-Tony Award^®-winning playwright Terrence McNally, featuring appearances by Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Bryan Cranston, Patrick Wilson, Angela Lansbury and Rita Moreno.

A hallmark of every NewFest is the bringing of new work to New York audiences, highlighting the emerging voices of queer cinema and 80% of the films in this year’s U.S. Narrative Features section are either New York, East Coast, or World premieres, and 8 of the 10 are from first or second-time filmmakers. In addition, in keeping with this year’s emphasis on inclusion, diversity and representation, 4 of the 10 films have female directors and 6 feature female leads.

NewFest’s commitment to bringing new films from around the world to New York audiences has never wavered and this year’s edition is no different. With the ever decreasing cost of technology and ever-increasing reach of the Internet, previously underrepresented countries and communities are finding their voices like never before. As a result, more and more films like Wanuri Kahiu’s RAFIKI, a story (written with Jenna Cato Bass) about the first love between two women in Kenya are seeing the light, as well as films like Christiaan Olwagen’s South African Apartheid-set musical CANARY and Ruth Caudeli’s EVA + CANDELA (Colombia), to name but a few.

Killer Unicorn

Of course, no NewFest would be complete without a few frightfully scary queer offerings and this year’s HalloKween sidebar is no exception! Featuring the New York Premiere of Drew Bolton’s KILLER UNICORN, a satirical stab at the slasher flick featuring a bevy of Brooklyn drag queens; NewFest alum Yann Gonzalez’s Cannes competition entry KNIFE + HEART (starring Vanessa Paradis); and the New York premiere of CARMILLA: THE MOVIE, based on the lesbian vampire web series sensation.