United States, Portugal, Kenya 2023, 99 min, HDA Afrofilms International, Twende Pictures, Muiraquitã Filmes Production
by Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu
REQUEST A SCREENING Our Land, Our Freedom
A Kenyan woman's search for her father's remains becomes an investigation into British colonial atrocities including concentration camps and land theft that left countless Kenyans destitute. As her mission expands, she transforms into a powerful advocate championing justice and land resettlement for those dispossessed.Executive produced by Mira Nair: Cannes and Venice award-winning filmmaker, nominated for many more, and Zohran Mamdani’s mother.
Wanjugu Kimathi is an airport customer care representative, married to a comedian and has three grown children. She also has a special inheritance. Her father, Dedan Kimathi, was the legendary leader of the 1950s Kenyan Independence Movement against British rule (the Mau Mau), who inspired anti-colonial movements worldwide, including a young Nelson Mandela. In 1957, the British hanged him and secretly dumped his body, the whereabouts were never made public. Since then, Dedan's Kimathi's wife, Mukami, has been searching for his remains to give him a proper burial. However, now almost 90, she is too frail to continue and so her youngest daughter, Wanjugu, takes over the quest. OUR LAND, OUR FREEDOM tells the story of Wanjugu's journey. Searching for her father's remains, Wanjugu soon learns of a buried history of British colonial atrocities, including concentration camps and the massive theft of land that left hundreds of thousands Kenyans destitute. Her personal mission expands, and she transforms into a powerful advocate, exposing colonial brutality while building a nation-wide grassroots movement for land resettlement.
IDFA (World Premiere), Berlinale, FIFDH Geneva, Movies That Matter, IDFF Oslo, Munich, Docs Against Gravity, DocsBarcelona (Amnesty Award & Docs&Pearls Special Mention), Sheffield, BlackStar, ZIFF (Best Documentary Film Award)