Wanuri Kahiu is a working filmmaker in Kenya. She has a pet plant called Salamanda, that is 4 months old. It apparently has big green ears.
She is currently working on a secret plan to save the world, one niece or nephew at a time.
In 2008, Wanuri completed her first feature film From A Whisper based on the real life events surrounding the August 7, twin bombings of US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998. The film recently won awards at the Africa Movie Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Picture, the Golden Dhow award for Best East African Picture at Zanzibar International Film Festival and Best Film at Kalasha, Kenya Film and TV awards. Shortly after she completed a documentary about the life of Nobel peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai entitled For Our Land (2009) for M-Net ‘Great Africans’ Series.
She recently completed a short Science Fiction Film Pumzi (http://www.pumzithefilm.com) that was partially funded by Focus Features (part of NBC universal), Goethe Institut and Changa Moto Fund in Kenya.
We had a few questions for her, this is what she had to say
1. What was your first phone?
Ehhhhh… I wanna say it was silver.
2. What do you prefer? Facebook or Twitter? Why?
At the moment Twitter… I like the immediacy of it.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years
Hopefully staring out of this very same window… only the office will be furnished (You hear me say Dume & Kike?!?!?!)
4. Any question for us? We’ll publish our answer as well
Why?
Just… Why?
- Why not?
5. What would you do if you were president for a day?
I change the law so I was President for longer.
6. Whats your favourite book & movie?
Today… urmmm…. The day’s not over yet.
7. Who/What inspired you to do what you do now?
Music inspired me. He sings to me every day and I dance. He is my heart and its beat.
8. If you were to change jobs, what profession would you get into? Why?
Change jobs? Why? I’m just trying to do what I love…
9. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Wait… wait… wait… There. You felt that? That was me. I’m super-power-ed out Bebe.
10. If you were deserted on an abandoned island what
5 things would you want to have?
- My Beloved,
- Endless Gourmet Vegetarian Food,
- Comfortable pimped out sustainable energied Cribz,
- Music,
- Internet enabled Computer… (Duh!)
11. If you were a car, what car would you like to be? Why?
A shiny one that goes VRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMM… so that everyone can turn their heads and say… ‘Who is that Shiny Vroomy car?’
12. If you could be in any band in the world, which one would you like to be in? Why?
The Band that makes the most BANK!!!! (Self-explanatory)
13. Share an interesting thing about yourself with our readers
I am “drunk with the nectar of nowness” (Maya Angelou)