A Lover & Killer of Colour

A young Black woman played by Alida Babel walks through Berlin on her own. It is midnight, her heels click against the steps leading down to the U-Bahn, the train has just left, the empty platform becomes a space of anxiety. Twelve minutes to wait, the voiceover spoken by the director herself complains: “This impatience!”
Wanjiru Kinyanjui made A Lover & Killer of Colour (1988) during her studies at the DFFB. This short film miniature revolves around the experience of sexist and racist harassment – and the anger which emerges in response. What can be done with all the aggression that finds no release during such humiliating moments? The film watches as rage is translated into artistic work. The night scenes alternate with footage from the young woman’s studio; she is a painter, and she writes. While she is typing, the voiceover says: “If you do not stop / insulting me / you leeches / I will kill you / in this poem.” Wanjiru Kinyanjui’s directness rejects the sort of sublimation that may have kept the anger contained – even as the wish for reconciliation remains: “Through words, my trust is repaired / on white paper”.
by Wanjiru Kinyanjui
with Alida Babel
Federal Republic of Germany 1988 English 10’ Colour, 16 mm

With

  • Alida Babel

Crew

DirectorWanjiru Kinyanjui
ScreenplayWanjiru Kinyanjui
CinematographyWanjiru Kinyanjui
EditingWanjiru Kinyanjui
SoundGruscha Rode, Jürgen Schönhoff

Produced by

Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)

Berlin, Germany

www.dffb.de www.dffb.de

Wanjiru Kinyanjui

Born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1958, she first studied German and English literature and then film directing. Wanjiru Kinyanjui works as a writer, screenwriter and director and teaches film production at Kenyatta University.

Filmography

1987 ...wenn ein Fremder dazu kommt...; co-directed by Yvonne Gaerber, 18 min. 1988 A Lover & Killer of Colour; 10 min. 1991 African Time; 22 min. 1992 Black in the Western World; 23 min. 1993 Vitico, eine lebende Legende; 15 min. 1995 Der Kampf um den heiligen Baum (The Battle of the Sacred Tree); 82 min. 1997 Zawadi ya Daudi; 83 min. 2007 Bahati; 40 min. · Manga in America; 57 min. 2009 Africa Is A Woman’s Name; 30 min.

Dates

Programme 6

A Lover & Killer of Colour | Der Kampf um den heiligen Baum

Sat Feb 18 19:30

Akademie der Künste

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Sat Feb 25 20:00

Kino Arsenal 1

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