He calls himself a liberal with conservative tendencies. And I had questions. A lot of them. In fact, lets just dive right into the chat with the 51-year-old CEO of Kenya Film & Classification Board, Dr. Ezekiel Mutua, the man who irks KOT and the liberal creative community and a Kenyan or two who want him to drop dead.
COUTURE Africa: I was a member of the Riverwood Academy Awards jury in 2018. It was quite an honour. I do wonder though, what is your criteria for listing categories?
Ezekiel Mutua: We work with the Riverwood Ensemble and they are made up of a panel of experts. They select the people and categories. Our role as KFCB is to make sure there is integrity in the entire judging process. Did you have an issue with criteria?
CA: More of a curiosity. I noticed there is a category for Best Production Design but none for Best Costume Design. Fashion plays a critical part in storytelling. Even traditionally, hair, makeup and costumes were a point of pride in any narrative. There is a chasm between film and fashion. What gives?
EM: Luckily we are doing this after the awards. It helps because what we are trying to do is create conversation. I am so glad you are picking up the fashion conversation with the right people. We don’t have all the resources and sometimes along the way it looked very improbable. I believe next year we can incorporate fashion.
CA: Does the red carpet play a role in Kenya?
EM: Could I turn that question over to you? Let me get a sense since you are the expert. What is the essence of a red carpet?
CA: Film and fashion promote each other on the red carpet. Take Lupita’s career. It was very strategically developed on the red carpet. She built her reputation and her brand and in fact ended up with high value endorsements. As a result, she can pick and choose which projects she wants to work on without the rush of getting into the first role that comes her way for money. She gets to be an artist because of fashion.
EM: You know what you have just said, those are my words exactly.
CA: No they are not!
This story is from the October 2018 edition of COUTURE Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2018 edition of COUTURE Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
COUTURE CONVERSES WITH SOME GREAT MEN
As we rally behind the strength and success of a woman, we realise that we cannot do it by ourselves, and we do need the men in our society. ANNE KABICHO and the COUTURE Africa Team caught up with some of these great men - across various fields to talk about work, happiness, purpose and country.
DIY SKIN CARE FOR HIM
One great way to get men into skincare remedies is by easing them into it, and DIY home remedies may just do the trick!
ACACIA PREMIER HOTEL
FIRST CLASS SERVICE IN KISUMU
Neelma Maru
Neelma Maru, 37, is an articulate communicator with a warm aura. Our one on one at the newly opened Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi, 1st in Kenya and EA, is part of an upscale Swiss group of 85 hotels in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa.
David ‘Tosh' Gitonga
David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga
What's Your Shade?
I have seen many a red in my time. Some have made me cringe. If it weren’t for the exceptionally high maintenance of red colour, I would run home and shampoo it all off. Some have been stunners, blessedly. You would imagine women with darker complexion would not be able to rick blonde and red shades. Would you be surprised if I told you there is a wide range of colour you can experiment with?
Dela Maranga
Singer and songwriter Dela Maranga, 29, the girl with the blue hair and advocate of #SelfLove
Beauty Is As Beauty Does
“Makeup is not a mask that covers up your beauty; it's a weapon that helps you express who you are from the inside.” - Michelle Phan
6 In 56 - How 6 Busy Women Can Enjoy 56 Hours In The Bush!!!!
Early Sunday morning 6 ladies got up bright and early headed to Wilson Airport for a much-needed coffee and breakfast at Java at The Aero Club by 7am. The service was terribly slow at JAVA, Sue went onto google maps to find the kitchen!
Why Men Ought To Understand Cars
Michael Mwai was the go-to car insider for 12 years, starting out at the East African Standard, Nation Media Group, Business Daily to True Love EA magazine. His love for cars has resulted in a most extraordinary career path, leading to travels around the world where he test drove all the cars you have ever wanted and dreamt of. He run his own design company, using that eye to suss out the attention to detail and point of view to set foot into the luxury world long before it even became a thing with a name. Discovering along the way that car design, this skill requiring up to 10 years of research, meant anticipating what the market needed even before it knew it needed it. Now he runs The Luxury Network which sounds exactly the way you think it does, working behind the scenes with a lot of brands you want to own and some you have never heard of, to live life like it is golden because to him, it is.
