Video on demand service, Showmax, has released a list of its most watched line-up of Kenyan productions on its platform for the year 2020.
Some of the Kenyan productions include Sauti Sol’s reality TV show Sol Family, telenovela film Kovu and drama drama film Lusala.
Below is the full list of top Kenyan productions on Showmax in 2020:
1. Sol Family
Sauti Sol, Africa’s biggest band, wowed their fans in Kenya and all over Africa when they let us in on some intimate and personal details about their lives in the reality docu-series Sol Family. Much-loved for humanizing the multi-award-winning band and for its many meme-able moments, Sol Family was brought to life by Eugene Mbugua, who’s known for other popular projects like Stori Yangu, Our Perfect Wedding and Concert Nyumbani.
2. Kina
Full of twists and turns, the drama series Kina has earned its place as one of the best local shows to premiere in 2020. Kina follows the wealthy Tandalas, led by the unscrupulous Nana Tandala (Sanaipei Tande), and the poor Mwakazis, whose different worlds are brought together by greed, revenge, and justice. Kina also stars Jimmi Gathu, Bruce Makau, Maina wa Ndungu, and Alyce Wangari, who was recently nominated as Best Lead Actress at Kalasha Awards 2020 for her role as Bella Mwakazi.
3. Kovu
Kovu follows Jaffar Haze (Ken Ambani) and his family, who seem to have it all, but beneath all their money, they are a family riddled with dark secrets that soon begin to unravel and slowly tear the family apart.
At the just concluded Kalasha Awards 2020, Kovu was nominated for Best TV Drama 2020 and Best Lead Actress for Trisha Khalid.
4. Njoro wa Uba
This year saw Njoro welcome a change of scenery from Nairobi to Mombasa but his trials and tribulations didn’t change because taxi drivers go through the same struggles everywhere. Praised by fans as the most relatable comedy in Kenya, Njoro wa Uba follows Joe Kinyua (The Whistle Blower) in the titular role of Njoro, a man who’s forced to become a taxi driver to make ends meet after losing a lucrative job due to allegations of fraud.
5. Maisha Mkanda
The 13-part series goes beyond headlines and examines different topics of interest in Kenya, from widow cleansing in Nyanza to the femicide problem that has gripped Kenya in the recent years.
At the Kalasha Awards 2020, Maisha Mkanda was the only nominee in the Best TV Documentary category with four of its episodes – Widow Cleansing, Mkorogo, Stalker in My Life and Road to Trauma, which won the category.
6. 18 Hours
18 Hours follows Zack (Nick Ndeda, Jacob’s Cross), a rookie paramedic, and his driver Mark (Brian Ogola, Lusala) as they race against time to save the life of a road accident victim who has been denied admission in several hospitals in Nairobi.
Directed by Njue Kevin, one of Kenya’s youngest filmmakers, 18 Hours made history at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2018 (AMVCAs) by earning Kenya its first ever nomination and win for Best Overall Movie, beating strong contenders like Nollywood favourite Shirley Frimpong-Manso (Potato Potahto). 18 Hours also won Best Movie East Africa and Best Picture Editor.
7. Supa Modo
Supa Modo, Kenya’s first ever superhero film packs an emotional punch with the heart-warming tale of nine-year-old Jo (Stycie Waweru), a terminally ill but vibrant girl with dreams of becoming a superhero who can fly. When Jo is discharged from the hospital to spend her remaining days at home, her headstrong sister and the whole village come together to make her dreams come true and turn her into the superhero she’s always wanted to be.
Supa Modo has won over 50 international awards including Best European Film For Children, European Children’s Film Association, 2019 and Generation 14Plus: Children’s Jury Special Mention, Berlin, 2018, the Artistic Bravery Prize at the Durban International Film Festival 2018 and Best Screenplay at the Carthage Film Festival.
8. Lusala
Lusala won the Rimbaud award at the 2020 Les Rimbaud du Cinéma, held in France at the oldest active cinema in the world.
Brian Ogola (18 Hours and Poacher) stars as Lusala, adopted by an affluent Nairobi family a decade ago, but now imposed on to leave home and start on his own. Eager and willing at first, he makes the most of his life, until the demons from his past return, and he has to face them on his own. Stycie Waweru (Jo in Supa Modo) co-stars.
Lusala is the directorial debut of Mugambi Nthiga, who co-wrote Kati Kati and Supa Modo, and also appeared in Nairobi Half Life, Kati Kati, and the drama series New Beginnings.