''Intellectual Scum'' is a 2015 Kenyan short film directed by

Njue Kevin Njué Kevin (born 19 February 1992) is a Kenyan film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing the film 18 Hours (film), 18 Hours which won the Best Overall Movie in Africa, Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awa ...

. Produced by Rocque Pictures, the film is an adaptation of the controversial article 'You Lazy (Intellectual) African Scum!' by Field Ruwe, a USA based Zambian media practitioner.

Plot

On board a commercial airplane, an African intellectual ( Field Ruwe), sits next to a white man (Walter). In their conversation, which is utterly brutal, honest and to some racist, Walter blames the ‘Intellectuals’ for the deplorable state Africa was in.

Cast

* Jason Corder as Walter * Patrick Oketch as Field Ruwe *Kevin Samuel as the analyst *

Mkamzee Mwatela Mkamzee Chao Mwatela (born 1982) is a Kenyan director, writer and actor, notable for her roles in the TV series ''Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by are ...

as the moderator *Edward Kagure as the thief *Niki Behr as the flight attendant

Production

Principal photography on the film began on 15 November 2015 and ended on 20 November 2015. The plane sequence on the film was shot on an actual plane at

Wilson airport Wilson Airport is an airport in Nairobi, Kenya. It has flights to many regional airports in Kenya while Nairobi's main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, serves domestic and many international destinations. Location Wilson Airport ...

as opposed to creating a set on a

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

. The director,

, on this decision said, "We would have used twice the budget on a set other than the actual airport. When on a shoestring budget, you have to do what you have to do."

Accolades

''Intellectual Scum'' has been met with widespread critical acclaim. Screening in three continents across the globe, critics across the east African region plod it as being the most successful short film in the history of film in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. It has screened at the following festivals thus far: #

Silicon Valley African Film Festival The Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) is an annual film festival held in California to promote an understanding and appreciation of Africa and Africans through moving images. Nigerian filmmaker Chike Nwoffiah founded the SVAFF in 2010 an ...

2015, CA, USA. # Film Africa 2015, United Kingdom. #

Africa international film festival The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Nigeria. It was founded in 2010 with its Inaugural edition in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. AFRIFF was founded by Chioma Ude a passionate film ...

, 2015. Nigeria - Student shorts - screened. # Africa Film Festival "Out of Europe" in Cologne/Germany. # Cork Africa Film festival 2015, Ireland. # Afrika Film festival 2016, Belgium. #

Luxor African film festival The Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) is an annual film festival for African cinema in Luxor, Egypt. In October 2019 the Malmö Arab Film Festival recognized LAFF for having "made great strides and ecomeone of the most important festivals sp ...

2016, Egypt. #

Cameroon International Film Festival The Cameroon International Film Festival (CAMIFF) is an annual event held in Buea, Cameroon. Established in 2016 by Cameroonian actor and producer Agbor Gilbert Ebot, the festival aims to promote Cameroonian and African cinema, foster cross-cultu ...

, 2016. # Out of Africa Film festival 2015, Kenya. # The

Zanzibar International Film Festival Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), also known as Festival of the Dhow Countries, is an annual film festival held in Zanzibar, Tanzania and one of the largest cultural events in East Africa. ZIFF is a non-governmental organization establis ...

2015. # Slum Film festival, 2015. Kenya - Judges Choice Awards -*Winner- # Golden Diana awards, 2015. Austria # Kalasha Film and Television awards 2015, Kenya.-Best Feature by a student- Nominated

References

Daily Nation

Film Kenya magazine

Pontetash Review

Up Nairobi Magazine

Varcity Kenya

Actors Kenya

External links

* http://www.rocquepictures.com/index.html

Official Website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, education, ...

* {{IMDb title, 4418944 2015 films Kenyan short films Films directed by Njue Kevin