Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu has been chosen to direct Covers, a romance set in the Los Angeles music scene for Working Title and Universal. The announcement, published on 2018-11-21, follows an international search for the project’s director.
Deadline reported that Kahiu was selected to lead the film from a screenplay by first-time writer Flora Greeson. After the news broke, Kahiu shared her excitement on social media, writing: “Dreams are possible!”
The new assignment comes after Kahiu made history with Rafiki, which became the first Kenyan film selected for the Cannes Film Festival. The movie, based on Jambula Tree by Ugandan writer Monica Arac de Nyeko, had been banned in Kenya earlier in the year because of its LGBTQ storyline.
Rafiki tells the story of two girls forced to weigh love against safety in a country where homosexual activity is illegal. The Kenyan High Court later temporarily lifted the ban so the film could play for seven days in Kenyan cinemas and qualify for the Oscars.
Even with sold-out screenings during that run, the film did not secure an Oscar nomination. After Cannes on 9 May, the 82-minute title also screened at the Toronto Film Festival, the London Film Festival and AFI Fest, among other events.
Working Title’s recent releases with Universal include the Oscar-nominated Darkest Hour through Focus Features, which is also handling Mary, Queen of Scots. The company is also behind Universal’s adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.
