When a cholera outbreak hits his home town Salama, Michael (30, a community health worker), is unable to continue turning a blind eye to the corruption that exists in the medical sector. He gives out free medicines despite warnings from his boss Biggie, a cartel representative. After his mother is accidentally killed during a roughing up by the cartel, Michael takes revenge by raiding the cartel’s warehouse and distributing the drugs for free. The community celebrates the lifesaving deeds of the mythical hero and savior of Salama. Social media quickly jumps on the bandwagon and sensationalize the idea of a benevolent vigilante coining the name Jonte for the unknown hero (think Makmende).
With the cartel doubling down to recover lost revenue the guilt stricken Michael is forced to live a double life as he fights this giant he woke up through his new alias Jonte. Things come to a head when the cartel comes for the community’s prime land. Michael leads the community in a protest but with his secret identity betrayed how long can he survive against this very well oiled cartel machinery?
BELIEF SYSTEM: I have been dealt a pretty bad hand (blindness) but I will make the most of it.
BACK STORY Brayo’s story is the embodiment of the true cost of poverty; a tragedy that could have been very easily averted but for lack of money to get eye treatment.
He has however come out of it with great grace not letting it define him. He is a charmer especially with the ladies. He has had to hone his other senses especially smell and hearing to make up for the loss of sight. He is funny, intuitive, smart and provides lots of comic relief in an otherwise dark picture. He is Michael’s best friend and most trusted lieutenant.
BELIEF SYSTEM: It’s our turn to eat and we will cut down anyone who stands in our way.
BACK STORY Keem could have been a CEO if that is what he aspired to but being a gangster is all he has ever dreamt of. He lives and breathes the code and worships all the bad men he has read about or watched in the movies from Al Capone to Pablo Escobar and Frank Lucas. He is not averse to doing anything as long as it will make him and his bosses money. Equally brawn, brain and ruthlessness he has always desperately wanted to be the leader of his gang, to be feared and to be fabulously wealthy from the proceeds of crime. He is meticulous, calculating and spine chilling shrewd.
BELIEF SYSTEM: The system is broken and we have to figure a way around it.
MOTIVATION: To make sure those he loves don’t have to go through the same struggles as him In the hands of a master writer a pen (in this case keyboard) can be a more powerful tool than any weapon forged by man.
BACK STORY A student of the streets Michael aspired to be doctor but for lack of school fees ended up being a community health worker/clinical officer. He financed his diploma as well as his blind brother’s education through hawking; first groundnuts then clothes and finally small electronics. He is an extremely sharp and charming young man with a heart of gold. He loathes alcohol following the beatings he and his mother would receive from his alcoholic deceased father. A bleeding heart, he would sacrifice his last piece of bread to save a dying dog. It would seem fate has a different destiny for him as despite his best efforts he keeps getting sucked back into a world he would rather leave behind.
BELIEF SYSTEM: You do what you have to do to survive.
MOTIVATION: To be the change she wants to see.
BACK STORY Grew up in the same impoverished neighbourhood as Michael and was part of his early gang. Wanting to be an instrument of change Tiwi chose a career in journalism hoping to highlight society’s ills in order to spur reform. Life however threw her a curveball in the form of acute kidney failure necessitating bi-weekly dialysis. This coupled with disillusionment about reforming society changed her as the need to survive superseded her natural instinct to do good and pursue the love of her life. Instead she went with Michael’s other childhood friend but now sworn enemy Dero, a gangster, who could afford her dialysis bills and has since earned a reputation for ruthlessness in her new world.
The 10 hours of detention every week (as she is hooked up to the dialysis machines) afford her time to write but has since turned to raunchy sex articles on her very popular blog, Ghetto Empress; this after her more serious pieces got no traction with readers. She creates the character Jonte to protect Michael and also invite the community into the fight against corruption.
She is a natural beauty who likes to keep it all natural (No weaves or over the top make-up). She also possesses girl next door looks and charm. She is a Mother Teresa type, always on hand to help the needy and less fortunate but still headstrong in that she won’t be bullied into anything she doesn’t want to do or believe in.
I was first interested in making a film about crime in 2011 when I visited John Kiriamiti in a small town called Muranga. I never imagined sitting down with a former ‘most wanted’ criminal in the history of Kenya. After speaking to him a whole afternoon I was more excited to the idea of doing a crime movie. Originally, my idea was to make a film about a ruthless criminal who leaves his family every morning to commit crimes in order to sustain his family but eventually gets killed for his crimes and never returns home. I really wanted to tell a story of such a criminal but the story changed when I met John.
Themes of family, guilt, betrayal, regret, loyalty, absence, etc., are not typically things that come to mind when we imagine a film about crime, so I was compelled to tell a story with such themes. It was a way to confront some of the things that happen in a world of crime.
Jonte’s suits most patriotic citizens as a form of participatory patriotism, a collection of individuals whose voices create a community greater than themselves regardless of race or ethnicity. Jonte as a film will entertain the audience while encouraging them to welcome the challenge of fighting corruption together with great principles and boundless chutzpah.
The process of making this film will be infused with the spirit of fighting corruption. Our film’s originator, Kiboi Kuria assembled an ensemble of creative people to join our ideas together to distil the essence of fighting corruption on film. We are set out to tell a story not only about crime, but about the possibility of fighting corruption together, and the necessity of creating a more beautiful country. We are excited about sharing this remarkable tale – and the message of our extraordinary subject – far and wide.
I believe that by blending different forms of art such as audio, visuals, storytelling, etc. you can create a more powerful piece than by using one art form alone. Each project I make is different, and I want people to take something different out them. Our current culture, and my generation, is prone to listening to video media. I want to create films that have something positive to say. My hope is to carry inspiration to others.
Cinematic journeys with cathartic experiences and empathetic characters are what I yearn for.
My films use realistic settings with a large scope to open the imagination and ignite the curiosity of an audience. My characters have small, relatable stories with authentic moral dilemmas that play in contrast to that scale. The effect of this allows viewers to ‘escape’ and let their guard down, which in turn allows me to open them to ideas and emotions.
In short, I take people far-far-away to look at themselves up close. This will set my films apart from parochial cinema, and propels them to play on a global stage. Film is mass-media and is therefore most effective when it reaches a mass audience to elicit a collective catharsis.
My approach requires a unique skill set that includes experience with professional actors, ability to lead large crews, technical aptitude, and an understanding of the industry. Having recently completed production of my first TV series, my career is primed to reach a new level.
Currently, my films exist on the border of realism. Cinematography, sound, and music work to create a recognizable world. This will force the audience to attach to something familiar - a character experiencing a moral dilemma. This is not a new concept, but my world view and aesthetic make it unique.
The emotions of the protagonists become the emotions of the audience. The ideas I’m proposing become ideas created in the minds of the audience as if they were their own. Recognizable characters experiencing life in large scale settings. Through this ‘escapism’ approach I am able to engage, entertain, and inform so that my work may be seen by a mass audience. With over twenty-years of experience in every aspect of film production, my career is now at a tipping point to reach a higher level.