Something Necessary 2013

Kenya, 2007. The post-election violence is raging. Anne (Susan Wanjiru) is one of the victims: hospitalised, with a dead husband, and her son in a coma. A young, troubled gang member is drawn to Anne and her farm seemingly in search of redemption. Both need something that only the other can give to allow them to shed the painful memories of their past and move on. Kibinge’s courageous and sensitively-observed film tackles a tough subject with grace and insight.

The film is accompanied by a Q&A with director Judy Kibinge chaired by Dr. Julie MacArthur, Professor of African History and Film and former director of the Cambridge African Film Festival. Scroll down page to view. 

Introduction from the TANO network
Something Necessary is set in the immediate post-conflict period after the inter-ethnic violence that erupted during Kenya’s 2008 elections. Ethnically driven sexual violence was committed against women and girls in the form of individual and gang rapes. This paints the traumatic socio-political context of Judy Kibinge’s 2013 film. It is an often harrowing, yet at times gentle, film that illuminates the effects of conflict and violence on women, as well as women’s roles in post-conflict reconciliation efforts. Judy Kibinge is one of Kenya’s most high-profile filmmakers. Her films have been recognised internationally, she has been a jury member for the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and in 2017 she was invited to act as a voting member for the Academy Awards.

This film will be available to view here for 48 hours from the listed date. It is free to watch but donations are welcomed.