Kenyan film ’40 Sticks’ also makes debut on Netflix
It is another big milestone for the Kenyan film industry after another locally-produced film premiered on the global streaming platform Netflix.
The feature film, dubbed ‘40 Sticks’, a 95-minute Kenyan thriller premiered on Friday November, 20, 2020.
‘40 Sticks’ becomes the third Kenyan film to feature on Netflix, hot on the heels of Poacher, Sincerely Daisy and Disconnect, all which were received warmly.
‘40 Sticks’, based on a fictional story created by Frank G. Maina, was directed by Victor Gatonye, written by Voline Ogutu with Fakii Liwali as executive producer.
Gatonye has previously directed Dreamchild (Kenyan feature film), Kina (TV series on Maisha Magic+), Sunrise (TV series on Showmax), East and Women of Obiero (both TV films on Showmax).
The cast includes Robert Agengo, Bilal Mwaura, Shivisi Shivske, Andreo Kamau, Cajetan Boy, Xavier Ywaya, Mumbi Maina, Gerald Langiri and Bruce Makau.
The ’40 Sticks’ thriller revolves around eight death row inmates trapped in a crashed prison bus striving to stay alive while a mysterious killer lurks in the shadows.
The film was shot across 5 locations in Nairobi over a 16-day period in February 2019 and was produced by SensePlay in partnership with Kenya Film Studios.
Bingi Media, Ogopa Inc and the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) officially rated the film 16 and it has been trending in Kenya on Netflix.