Shoto – a Kenyan film telling the story of a matatu driver who operates in Nairobi city was recently nominated for the 16th Edition of Best of New Film Makers Awards Los Angeles (BNFMLA) Awards under the Best New Media category.
The film titled Shoto, which refers to the nickname of a matatu driver plying the Umoja – CBD route, highlights the daily life of the driver and in the process, showcases many aspects of the matatu culture in Nairobi.
The short film ‘Shoto’ was a project by young emerging Kenyan filmmakers who are supported by Stories Found. The film, written by Arnold Mvoi and Firul Maithya also premiered at the Oxford Film Festival in the United States.
The young filmmakers went through a rigorous 5-day training session led by professional film instructors including Evie Maina, and Ishmael Azeli, as well as US-based filmmakers James Martin and Bud Simpson.
Stories Found is a documentary film-making curriculum which is sponsored by the United States Embassy in Nairobi to train young filmmakers and teach them skills in film production through courses available online and a detailed workshop.
NFML A is a non-profit organisation designed to showcase innovative works by emerging filmmakers from around the world. This organization also offers a forum for filmmakers to be recognised for their contributions, have open audience discussions about their projects and connect with industry professionals for insight on production, distribution and acquisition.
Winners in the 16 Award categories including new media, animation, documentary and narrative are selected by a 14 – member jury drawn from the Hollywood film industry.
