2024
Short Documentary(Philadelphia Premiere)

ENCHUKUNOTO (The Return)

CC
Closed captions online
OC
Open captions in-person
Play Trailer

Laissa Malih — a renown Maasai filmmaker — returns to the community her parents left behind in this deeply personal look at how the lands of her forefathers are being reshaped by climate change.

Screenings

Virtual

August 4 – August 6
August 1 – August 3

Directors Spotlight

A picture of a woman named Laissa Malih, standing outdoors with a professional camera mounted on a tripod. Laissa is smiling and looking slightly over her shoulder at the camera. She has braided hair tied back and is wearing a short-sleeved black t-shirt and black pants. The background is a blurred, natural landscape with some greenery and distant hills.

Laissa Malih

Director

Laissa Malih is the first female Maasai filmmaker. Her work focuses on documenting, linking, amplifying, and scaling up youth and women’s voices across diverse Indigenous cultures in Kenya and the world. Her 2020 documentary, RIVER OF BROWN WATERS, looks at the significance of the Ewaso Ng’iro, a river that serves as a lifeline for pastoralist communities surrounding Mount Kenya. In addition to film work, Malih has participated in international conferences and fellowships focused on climate adaptation and cultural legacy.

Runtime
16 minutes
Country
Kenya
Language
Maasai, Samburu, English
Director
Laissa Malih
Cast
Dukuya Lekominga, Nderi Lolinge, Patrick Ole Saikong, Reuben Legei, Clinto Lekominga, Rupes Caro, Sarah Lenoi, Sarah Mamai, Yustine Nashaki, Lekominga family, Mejooli Wilfred's family, Seers of Olkinyei village, Youth of Arjiju village
Cinematographer
Franklyne Mudulia Manono
Editor
Sauli Pillay
Producer
Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector , Adam Mazo , Taylor Hensel
Screenwriter
Laissa Malih, Kavita Pillay
Premiere
Philadelphia

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