Discussion: Kenya’s Participation at the 2013 Venice Biennale, Jun. 20 2013 @ the NEST

Date: June 20, 2013
Venue: the Nest, Jabavu Maisonettes House No. 4
Location: Opposite Kilimani Police Station
Time: from 6 pm
Entry: free

Context
Kenya’s Chinese takeaway in Venice by Frank Whalley

Kenya’s delegation to Venice Biennale – Source venice biennale 2013 official website

Artists: Kivuthi Mbuno, Armando Tanzini, Chrispus Wangombe Wachira, Fan Bo, Luo Ling & Liu Ke, Lu Peng, Li Wei, He Weiming, Chen Wenling, Feng Zhengjie, César Meneghetti
Commissioner: Paola Poponi
Curators: Sandro Orlandi, Paola Poponi
Venue: Caserma Cornoldi, Castello 4142 and San Servolo island

For more information about this event please visit the Facebook event page

Screening: Nairobi Half Life, May 24 2013 @ the Nest

Date: May 24, 2013
Venue: the Nest
Time: 7 pm
RSVP: muse@b9-studios.com

A young man, Mwas (Joseph Wairimu) still lives with his parents in their rural home in Kenya. He makes a living by selling western action films, he dramatically acts and portrays most of the action figures in his films in order to entice his customers. He is an aspiring actor and when he comes across a group of actors from Nairobi performing in his town, he asks one of them to help him jump start his acting career. But in return he is asked to give ksh1000 approximately USD10 in order for him to be cast in one of the plays. He can only afford ksh500 and is told to take the other kshs 500 with him to the National theatre in Nairobi. He is very excited and after receiving some money from his mother he embarks on his journey to Nairobi with a brief stop over in his town to bade his friends goodbye. He meets his cousin (a gang leader) who gives Mwas an expensive radio system and some money to take to Khanji electronic shop in downtown Nairobi.
After making his way to Nairobi, he quickly learns that there is more to Nairobi than just opportunities and glamour. On the first day, Mwas loses everything he has to Nairobi thugs and is left stranded and confused especially because he knows no one. He gets arrested and even spends a day in jail. In a twist of events, he meets a Nairobi crook who becomes a close friend and takes him into his criminal gang. He slowly gets into crime while trying to make his acting dreams come true. He finds himself struggling and juggling the two separate worlds. – Wikipedia

Watch the trailer

Some members of the cast and crew will be at the screening for a discussion after the film.

Screening: Life, Above All. May 17 2013 @ the NEST

Date: May 17, 2013
Venue: the NEST
Time: 1900h
RSVP by email to muse@b9-studios.com

In the dusty small town of Elandsdoorn, a South African township not far from Johannesburg, life is simple and serene. A prevailing sense of pride tightly bonds together the entire community – but beware those who step out of line … 12-year-old Chanda is a hardworking promising young student with a bright future, but her life changes dramatically when her baby sister unexpectedly dies. Heartbroken, Chanda’s mother, Lillian, in turn becomes severely ill. Her stepfather drowns himself in alcohol, leaving the young girl to take care of her two smaller siblings. Meanwhile, the formerly friendly neighbours become increasingly distant and gossip spreads.

“Auntie” Tafa does what she can to help by getting Lillian to leave town, but not even she is immune to the cloud of fear filtering across Elandsdoorn. Suspecting that the community’s irrational ostracism has to do with her mother’s illness and the death of her baby sister, Chanda demands answers but is met with stubborn silence. Unwilling to bear the weight of secrecy any longer, Chanda sets out to face a deeply engrained, unspoken taboo …- Official Website

Screening: Something Necessary, May 10 2013 @ the Nest

Date: May 10, 2013
Venue: The Nest
Time: Screening at 1900h
RSVP by email: to muse@b9-studios.com

Something Necessary is an intimate moment in the lives of Anne and Joseph. A woman struggling to rebuild her life after the civil unrest that swept Kenya after the 2007 elections claiming the life of her husband, the health of her son and leaving her home on an isolated farm in the Kenyan countryside in ruins, she now has nothing but her resolve to rebuild her life left. A young man, troubled gang member who participated in the countrywide violence is drawn to Anne and her farm seemingly in search of redemption. Both, Joseph and Anne need something that only the other can give to allow them to shed the painful memories of their past and move on. – IMDb

Watch the trailer

Some members of the cast and crew will be at the screening for a discussion after the film.

Screening: Tsotsi, May 3 2013 @ the Nest

Date: May 3, 2013
Venue: the NEST
Time: 7pm
Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto – where survival is the primary objective – TSOTSI traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.

TSOTSI is a gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme urban deprivation. His world pumps with the raw energy of “Kwaito music” – the modern beat of the ghetto that reflects his troubled state of mind.

The film is a psychological thriller in which the protagonist is compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions. It puts a human face on both the victims and the perpetrators of violent crime and is ultimately a story of hope and a triumph of love over rage. - Official Website.

Watch the trailer

Please RSVP by sending an email to muse@b9-studios.com

Creatives Garage April Review: Hub Edition, Apr. 19 2013 @ Pawa254 Hub

This April the Creatives Garage will host several of the leading hubs in Nairobi to share about their work and engage in a discussion about the role, impact and importance of hubs in the creative industry. As a creative it is imperative for you to join as you are the main shareholder for the establishment of any hub in your field.

Date: Friday, April 19 2013
Venue: Pawa 254
Time: from 5 pm

Creative hubs have become a center for innovation and incubation for start ups in Kenya, with several coming up around Nairobi.

Screening: Casablanca, Apr. 19 2013 @ the Nest

Date: April 19, 2013
Venue: The Nest
Time: 1900hrs
Please RSVP: muse@b9-studios.com

One of the most beloved American films, this captivating wartime adventure of romance and intrigue from director Michael Curtiz defies standard categorization. Simply put, it is the story of Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a world-weary ex-freedom fighter who runs a nightclub in Casablanca during the early part of WWII. Despite pressure from the local authorities, notably the crafty Capt. Renault (Claude Rains), Rick’s cafà (C) has become a haven for refugees looking to purchase illicit letters of transit which will allow them to escape to America. One day, to Rick’s great surprise, he is approached by the famed rebel Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick’s true love who deserted him when the Nazis invaded Paris. She still wants Victor to escape to America, but now that she’s renewed her love for Rick, she wants to stay behind in Casablanca. “You must do the thinking for both of us,” she says to Rick. He does, and his plan brings the story to its satisfyingly logical, if not entirely happy, conclusion. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Exhibition: Lying Awake by Geert Goiris, Apr. 5- May 3 2013 @ the Nest

Exhibition Opening: Friday, 5th April 2013, 7 pm
Venue: The Nest, Jabavu Masoinettes, House Number 4, Jabavu Road, opp. Kilimani Police Station

Exhibition Dates: 6th April to 3rd May 2013, Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 12 pm

Geert Goiris, born 1971 in Bornem, Belgium, teaches at the Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp. He studied photography at the Sint-Lukas Higher Institute for Visual Arts in Brussels and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts as well as the Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp. His work has been exhibited all over the world, such as Hamburger Kunsthalle, Kunstforum Basel, Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane and Nouveau Musée National de Monaco.

According to Eva Wittocx, his photographs reflect on the fundamental tension between perception and reality. In his work, time and space disappear in the interplay of form, abstraction, light and depth. The images of architectural spaces and intriguing landscapes with traces of human presence are often very alienating. In his recent work figures have started appearing, suggesting open narratives with threatening undertones.

The exhibition Lying Awake shows Goiris’ images as projections at the art organisation The NEST. For directions please visit their website at www.becauseartislife.org

In cooperation with The NEST

Screening: War Witch, Mar. 29 2013 Screening @ the Nest

Date: March 29, 2013
Venue: The Nest
Time: 1900h

Montreal-based filmmaker Kim Nguyen paints a poignant and harrowing portrait of Komona, a 14-year-old girl (wonderfully played by nonprofessional actress Rachel Mwanza) who has been kidnapped from her African village by rebels to become a child soldier. She escapes from the camp with an older albino soldier and experiences for the very first time the joys of a peaceful and loving life, but a fresh tragedy will force her to confront and fight the ghosts haunting her mind. Although inspired by a real story that took place in Burma, Nguyen decided to film War Witch in the Democratic Republic of the Congo without giving a specific location to the plot. He worked on the film for 10 years, watching and catching children’s points of view with his camera and mixing in tightly edited flashbacks in which the spirits of human beings appear with an ultra-realistic and violent storyline. But War Witch is also a poignant and impossible love story filled with magic, picturesque images, and even light moments like the powerful visit to an albino camp or the chasing of a white rooster. - (c) Tribeca film

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Screening: Robot & Frank, Mar. 22 2013 @ the Nest

Date: March 22, 2013
Venue: The Nest
Time: 1900h

Set in the near future, Frank, a retired cat burglar, has two grown kids who are concerned he can no longer live alone. They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until Frank’s son chooses a different option: against the old man’s wishes, he buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. What follows is an often hilarious and somewhat heartbreaking story about finding friends and family in the most unexpected places. – (c) Samuel Goldwyn
http://robotandfrank-film.com/

Watch the trailer

Screening: Robert Zemeckis’ Flight, Mar. 15 2013 @ the Nest

The feature of the week is Robert Zemeckis’ Flight,

Date: March 15, 2013
Venue: The Nest
Time: Doors open at 5:30 pm and screening will start at 7:00 pm
Please RSVP so that there is enough seating available for everyone.

In this action-packed mystery thriller, Academy Award winner, Denzel Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot, who miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault and what really happened on that plane? — (c) Official Site
http://www.paramount.com/flight/

Feel free to come with your own food and drinks to enjoy as you watch.

For any questions, drop an email at muse@b9-studios.com

Screening: Argo, Mar. 8 2013 @ The Nest

The feature of the week is Ben Affleck’s Argo.

Date: March 8, 2013
Time: Doors open at 5:30 pm and screening will start at 7 pm.
RSVP and/or drop questions: muse@b9-studios.com
Please RSVP so that there is enough seating available for everyone

Based on true events, Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis-the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies. – Rotten Tomatoes

Feel free to come with your own food and drinks to enjoy as you watch.

Screening: Eye See Tarantino, Mar. 2 2013 @ The Nest

The NEST proudly presents, EYE SEE Tarantino, featuring the works of American film director, screenwriter, actor and producer Quentin Tarantino* this Saturday, March 2nd 2013.
Curated by Mugambi Nthiga

Date: March 2, 2013
Venue: The Nest
Location: Jabavu Lane
Time: from 10 am to 9 pm
RSVP: here

The NEST will be showcasing his famous, award winning films such as Pulp Fiction & Reservoir Dogs.
Visit www.becauseartislife.org for more information.

* Tarantino is the director behind the acclaimed flicks Inglourious Basterds and most recently Django Unchained

Screening: Eye See Festival, Jan. 26 2013 @ the Nest

The 26th of January sees the 2nd edition of the Eye See festival, the NEST’s monthly mini-film-festival.

Every month, we put together a list of cool feature films, short films, experimental films based on various themes.

This month’s edition of the Eye See festival will introduce the NEST audience to various shorts and features from the South American region.
Join us on the 26th of January at the NEST from 10 am – 9 pm. Get your tickets here

Forum Theatre Event: Rewind. Fast Forward, Jan. 19 2013 @ the Nest

This Saturday (January 19) from 2 pm – 4 pm, the Nest will be presenting “Rewind. Fast Forward” at the NEST – a forum theater event moderated by Dr. Njoki Ngumi. This month, they’re using the forum to explore dispute resolution in relationships between men and women at home, in the workplace and in romantic and platonic contexts.

Are men always oppressors? Are women always nagging? Are men always domineering? Are women always comparing? Is equality/equity possible? Explore honest possibilities around dispute resolution and constructive argument techniques by becoming part of the action yourself and telling the actors what to do (maybe even acting it out yourself)!

Register for your free ticket here

Screening: Dan Muchina’s Santerium, Dec. 22 2012 @ The Nest

Date: December 22, 2012
Venue: The Nest
Time: 1-9 pm
Entry: Free BUT you need to get your tickets here

For more info visit:
http://www.becauseartislife.org

Introducing The NEST! Eye See Sounds Music Films, Dec. 1 2012 @insidethenest

Date: December 1, 2012
Venue The NEST
Location: House Number 4, Jabavu Maisonettes, Jabavu Road (opposite the Kilimani Police Station)
Directions: here

The NEST is a new space in Nairobi for creatives and to kick things off they shall be holding their first event in the new space!

The monthly Eye See Film Festival at the NEST. Starting with Eye See Sounds – a celebration of all things film + music
Guest curator Mbithi Masya brings us a selection of music videos (old and new) by Madonna, Bjork, RHCP, Busta Rhymes, Die Antwoord, Massive Attack and lots more.

Get your tickets here: eyeseesounds.eventbrite.com