Nairobi News

Showmax this week hosted an exclusive screening of the first episode of the Showmax’s new thriller Igiza, which is set to premiere on Monday. The cast and crew have received praise for its strong debut after the screening the first episode.

In attendance at the event that was held at Nairobi Street Kitchen in Westlands were the show’s cast including Serah Ndanu, Blessing Lung’aho, Kevin Samuel as well as director and producer Abdi Shuria.

Denise Mwende, Showmax Content Specialist in East Africa, said that Showmax is invested more in local content, with Igiza being the fourth Showmax Original in Kenya in less than a year, with more to come in 2022.

She said as, a key player in the entertainment industry, Showmax is proudly Africa’s greatest storyteller.

“The first episode is one of our proudest yet, not just because we’ve had the chance to collaborate with world-class talent on a local stage but we also get to share these stories with the world, where even Kenyans in the UK and other parts of the diaspora have a taste of home,” Ms Mwende said.

She praised Yare Productions for the work they’ve put into the series from beginning to end.

“The journey with Yare Productions has been an exciting one, from pitching, scripting, casting, production and post-production. We jointly agree that this story is worth every single ounce of energy all the teams have put into it.”

Speaking about her role during the panel Q&A session, lead actress Serah Ndanu described her dual role of twins Linda and Nicole as a very intense process that was quite daunting at first, especially in scenes with both characters together.

“Igiza being a first of its kind and also having this much pressure, I was always dreading those scenes of Linda and Nicole together but I’m happy they turned out to be some of the best scenes,” she said.

Director Abdi Shuria expressed his appreciation to the cast and to the writers who have worked with him in rigorous workshop sessions to bring to life a story that so many Kenyans will relate to.