Rafiki

Fort York
SUNDAY, August 23 2020

Rafiki

With short film The Drop In

A barrier-breaking tale of forbidden love, Rafiki stands out among Christie Pits Film Festival’s first decade of programming as our best attended opening night to date, so we’re bringing it back to celebrate this milestone year! Banned in its home country at the time of its Cannes 2018 premiere, this textured and chromatic adaptation of Monica Arac de Nyeko’s Jambula Tree tells the story of two Kenyan daughters of political rivals who are unable to resist each other’s spell. With their safety at risk, Kena and Ziki fall in love but fight to protect it from the prying eyes of homophobes and religious zealots - the same people who in the real world tried to prevent the film from being screened in Kenya until Director Wanuri Kahiu challenged the ban in Kenya’s Rafiki (which means “friend” in Swahili) became Kenya’s second-highest grossing film ever. A landmark film and an irresistible teen romance, join us as we celebrate this shining example of the power of cinema.

Thematically contrasting and visually complementing this evening’s feature is Zimbabwe-to-Toronto-to-L.A. filmmaker Naledi Jackson's The Drop In, a slickly choreographed sci-fi action short in which two secret agents from an unnamed African nation collide head to head in a Scarborough Black women’s hair salon, their hidden identities quickly laid bare.

Rafiki

Wanuri Kahiu, 2018

With short film The Drop In,
directed by Naledi Jackson, 2017

Sunday, August 23, 2020
Admission: Get your free tickets here
There will be no admission without an advance ticket
Donations make our programming possible

Venue: "Walled Fort" of Fort York National Historic Site - entry at west gates of 100 Garrison Road

Event details:
Gates open @ 6:30pm / Showtime @ sundown
COVID-19 on-site protocols - please read before attending
Snacks and alcoholic beverages for sale (no outside alcohol permitted)
BYOBlanket & Chairs
Please see the accessibility features of Fort York
Films are screened with captioning
This programme is rated PG and is suitable for most audiences

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