Intellectual Scum | |
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Directed by | Njue Kevin |
Screenplay by | Njue Kevin |
Story by | Field Ruwe |
Produced by | Bill Jones Afwani Phoebe Ruguru |
Starring | Jason Corder Patrick Oketch |
Cinematography | Jim Bishop |
Edited by | Daniel Kent |
Production company | Rocque Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 15 minutes |
Country | Kenya |
Intellectual Scum is a 2015 Kenyan short film directed by Njue Kevin. Produced by Rocque Pictures, the film is an adaptation of the controversial article 'You Lazy (Intellectual) African Scum!' [1] by Field Ruwe, a USA based Zambian media practitioner.
On board a commercial airplane, an African intellectual (Field Ruwe), sits next to a white man (Walter). In their conversation, which is utterly brutal, honest and to some racist, Walter blames the ‘Intellectuals’ for the deplorable state Africa was in. [2]
Principal photography on the film began on 15 November 2015 and ended on 20 November 2015. The plane sequence on the film was shot on an actual plane at Wilson airport as opposed to creating a set on a sound stage.
The director, Njue Kevin, on this decision said, "We would have used twice the budget on a set other than the actual airport. When on a shoestring budget, you have to do what you have to do."
Intellectual Scum has been met with widespread critical acclaim. Screening in three continents across the globe, critics across the east African region plod it as being the most successful short film in the history of film in Kenya.
It has screened at the following festivals thus far:
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The cinema of Kenya refers to the film industry of Kenya. Although a very small industry by western comparison, Kenya has produced or been a location for film since the early 1950s when Men Against the Sun was filmed in 1952. Although, in the United States, jungle epics that were set in the country were shot in Hollywood as early as the 1940s.
Field Ruwe is an educator, historian, author, and scholar practitioner currently based in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. In his native country of Zambia, Dr. Ruwe is known as a radio and television host, and entrepreneur. On March 30, 2016, Ruwe signed a book contract with the Oklahoma-based Tate Publishing and Enterprises, LCC for his novel "Crown Jewels." The deal includes Ruwe's future fiction and nonfiction works.
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Kalasha Film & TV Awards is an annual accolade presented by Kenya Film Commission with a goal to recognize and celebrate achievers in Kenya's TV and film industry. Entries into the award ceremony are films and TV series that have been aired on Kenyan television stations. The inaugural awards were held in 2010 at the Crowne Plaza in Upper Hill, Nairobi and subsequent awards are held yearly at the last quarter of the year at the same venue. The awards represent the five original branches of film making: directors, actors, writers, producers and technicians. However, the Academy organizers will advise on whether or not to include more categories as long as they sufficiently represent the entire film industry.
Patricia Wangechi Kihoro is a Kenyan singer, songwriter, actress, radio and reality television personality. She rose into prominence after she participated in the third season of Tusker Project Fame, where she became one of the finalists. In acting, she has appeared in a number of local productions like the 2011 film, Miss Nobody, which saw her being nominated in the 2012 Kalasha Awards for best lead actress in a film. In television production, she has been cast as a lead in Groove Theory, a musical drama and as a regular in Demigods, Changes, Rush and Makutano Junction. As a radio presenter, she has worked with One FM and Homeboyz FM. Patricia is a content creator, influencer and youtuber.
Hawa Essuman is a film director based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her 2017 feature-length documentary Silas, co-directed with Anjali Neyar, tells the story of Liberian environmental activist Silas Siakor's fight to preserve the country's rainforests from commercial logging. The film won multiple awards, including the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award (2018) and the Audience Award for best documentary at the RiverRun International Film Festival (2018). Hawa's first feature film, Soul Boy (2010), also received a series of awards. In addition, Hawa has produced a range of TV programmes, commercial films, music videos and adverts.
"Hunt for Successor 8: Zambian Intellectuals are Lazy" is a controversial article written by Field Ruwe, a Zambian-American writer. It was published on January 13, 2012 and subsequently updated on January 16, 2012 on UKZAMBIANS, a Zambian news and lifestyle magazine.
18 Hours is a 2017 Kenyan drama film written and directed by Njue Kevin on his directorial debut. The cast includes Nick Ndeda, Sue Wanjiru, Brian Ogola, Isaya Evans and Shirleen Wangari.
Poacher is a 2018 Kenyan / British short film directed by Tom Whitworth. The film received wide international attention after its release in Netflix in September 2020. It also became the first ever Kenyan film to be released via Netflix.
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Patrick Oketch is a Kenyan actor known for playing Charlie in the Citizen TV drama series Mother-in-Law. He also portrayed Field Ruwe in the 2015 short film Intellectual Scum. Born in 1981 in the Mathare Slums, Patrick is a trained teacher currently pursuing a degree in Theatre Studies and Film Technology at Kenyatta University. He is also a prolific scriptwriter and the script editor for the star-studded show MaEmpress on Maisha Magic.
Jason Corder is an American TV and film producer, scriptwriter, actor, singer and composer, and CEO of his own production company, Corder Productions, with offices in Los Angeles and Nairobi, Kenya.
Khaleed Abdul Aziz is a Kenyan Comedian, Actor, Script writer, Mcee and a Pastoralist. He is popularly known as Farah in Classmates, a TV Comedy Series currently aired by KBC Channel 1. He made his first TV appearance on Churchill Show and later won Kalasha International Award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy.
Susan "Sue" Wangui Wanjiru is a Kenyan actress. She is famous for two movies in which she acted in 2013 and 2017, titled "Something Necessary" and the award-winning "18 Hours", respectively. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and the founder and key person in the social enterprise, Lokhem Kids Entertainment Ltd., which uses different media to teach children how to become better leaders.