Filmmakers Milcah Cherotich and Toby Schmutzler, two of the creative forces behind Nawi, have shared their social impact hopes for their film. They were speaking to The Film Verdict about the film announced as Kenya’s Oscars 2025 submission.
In the interview, Cherotich, who has sole story and joint screenwriter credits, says Nawi was drawn from personal experience. Her sister was a victim of child marriage and she had a friend “abducted” for the same reason.
“The idea was to bring attention to the challenge of child marriage that is very common in Kenya and especially in the rural areas,” she said, adding that “The topic is very complex and nobody wants to talk about it. But I felt that I need to speak for millions of girls who don’t have a voice.”
Short story origin
The film began as a short story written by Cherotich as an entry for a contest launched by Learning Lions, an NGO based in Kenya. A screenplay was then cobbled together by Cherotich, Toby Schmutzler, and his brother, Kevin. The German brothers are credited as two of a 4-director team. The other two are Vallentine Chelluget and Apuu Mourine, two Kenyan women who worked to ensure “cultural authenticity”.
“We have people suffering in silence and it is our duty to bring this to light,” Cherotich says. “I also hope the perpetrators, those people still going on with the practice of child marriage, can have a bit of compassion and change their mind. They need to know that what they are doing is harming the lives of others.”
Going forward, Schmutzler says their NGO-partner has plans to take Nawi to Turkana, the region where the story is set. “It is important these men see it and maybe it would change their understanding of the problem,” he tells TFV.
Nawi stars Michelle Lemuya Ikeny as the film’s eponymous character. At the 2024 Africa Movie Academy Awards, the young actress was named winner of the Best Young/Promising Actor award.
