Nairobi Half Life

Film

by David Tosh Gitonga

Details

Kenya / 2012 / 96mins / Drama / Swahili

A young aspiring actor from upcountry Kenya dreams of becoming successful in the big city. In pursuit of this and to the chagrin of his brother and parents, he makes his way to Nairobi: the city of opportunity. He quickly understands why Nairobi is nicknamed Nairobbery as he is robbed of all his money and belongings and left alone in a city where he doesn't know a soul. Luck, or the lack of it, brings him face to face with two groups of downtown crooks and he forms a friendship with a young small time gang leader who takes him in. He is quickly drawn into a new world of theft and violence, even as he still tries to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Keeping the two worlds separate proves to be a contest for him as he struggles to survive in this unknown world called Nairobi.

Trailer

About the Director

David Tosh Gitonga

David Tosh Gitonga, popularly known as Tosh, was born in a small town named Nanyuki in the East of Kenya on September 20th, 1981. He studied at the Kenya Institute of Marketing, where he graduated in 2003 with a Diploma in Marketing. During his studies he started an internship at a production company called Baraka Films. There he was introduced to the world of film and worked on his first feature film Dangerous Affair in 2002 as a production assistant. Tosh continued to work on several other productions as an assistant director: Afrika, mon amour (2006), Malooned (2007), Garden of Eden (2007), The First Grader (2009). In 2010 he enrolled in the One Fine Day Film Workshop, where he was selected to direct his first feature film Nairobi Half Life under the supervision of Tom Tykwer. Learn More