After making its Kenyan debut at the Prestige Cinema on Ngong Road during the NBO Film Festival, ‘Call Me Queen’ is set to begin its theatrical release across East Africa on October 30, with a streaming release hosted by Yakwetu on November 13.
In attendance for the film’s red carpet premiere were German producer Gian Piero Ringel, director Emily Atef and lead Rwandan-French actress Eliane Umuhire, alongside Kenyan actors: Nice Githinji, Helen Keli, Peter Kawa, Michelle Tiren and Lwanda Jawar Kotengo.
Directed by award-winning German-born French-Iranian filmmaker Emily Atef, ‘Call Me Queen’ is considered a Kenyan set international film that revolves around the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
It stars Eliane Umuhire as Queen Achungo, alongside Irish actress Denise Gough, with Charlie Carrick, Dominic West, Laurent Lafitte and Danny Sapani. The Kenyan cast includes Michelle Tiren, Nice Githinji, Lwanda Jawar, Helen Keli, Peter Kawa and Eddie Kimani.
Synopsis
Set in Nairobi during the 1990s, against the backdrop of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the film follows Queen, a Rwandan refugee and single mother living in Korogocho, whose determination to provide for her children leads her to become a housekeeper for Anna, an international journalist living in an affluent Nairobi suburb. What begins as an employer–employee relationship develops into an unexpected friendship between two women from vastly different worlds, challenging their perspectives on privilege, inequality and the value of human life. When Queen discovers she is HIV-positive, her personal struggle becomes part of a wider fight for access to life-saving medication, at a time when treatment remains beyond the reach of millions. As Queen and Anna confront the inequalities shaping access to healthcare, the film examines the intersection of poverty, pharmaceutical patents, race and political responsibility, while highlighting the resilience of individuals and communities determined to fight for change.
Speaking about the film, director Emily Atef describes Queen as the story’s most pivotal character.
“(Queen) is the undisputed heroine of the film. A woman whose resilience and natural leadership emerge as her personal struggle grows into a fight for her community,” she said. “Her strength, humour, fearlessness and innate intelligence are what make her a born leader. Queen and the people around her take control of their own struggle, and fight for change on their own terms.”
Inspired by true events, the screenplay is based on veteran foreign correspondent Lara Santoro’s novel ‘Mercy’.
It was written by Atef, alongside Kenyan-Ghanaian screenwriter Hawa Essuman, German filmmaker Josune Hahnheiser and British writer Jeannine Dominy.
The production brings together international filmmaking talent and a largely female Kenyan cast and crew, placing local experiences at the centre of a story with global relevance.
The film also features a dedication to Appie Matere, a visionary Kenyan film and television producer, who collaborated with Ascent Films as a producer on the project before her passing.
Speaking about the film’s release across cinemas in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, Trushna Buddhdev-Patel, Managing Director of Crimson Multimedia and Co-Founder of Yakwetu, said the film deserved to be watched at home.
“This film deserves to be watched widely; we have therefore pushed for a release across East Africa’s cinemas, and also online via Yakwetu where cinemas cannot reach the audience,” she said.
The film is an international production by Ringel Film, Les Films Pelléas, Cowboy Films and Streetcar Productions, in co-production with Zischlermann Filmproduktion, Construction Film and Ascent Films.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.