Joy's Garden
When she arrives at her estranged father’s bachelor pad, a little girl sets out to recreate her old garden; wrecking his comfortable life.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Ngwatilo Mawiyoo
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
"Joy's Garden" brings to life a moment where an absent father encounters himself as his child's last hope. I had a great dad, but as I've grown into a woman and possible mother, I've become more aware of how common absent and unavailable fathers have become in my communities. It's yet another way we make a leap of faith in choosing to mother; to hope that we will not be alone, and that our children will be okay even if the worst happened. Loss and grief are recurring themes in my work: I'm always working out ways to respond to them. So I made this film to conjure the vision I needed, of the most typical of such men, stepping up.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
"Joy's Garden" finds magic in the ordinary, in grief. Joy is a girl is out to create the world she needs. Audiences will also find Edwin's ineptitude relatable, hopefully in a way that will spark on a knowing smile. The themes carry a certain weight some will feel keenly, but the focus of "Joy's Garden" is hope.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Father-daughter relationships are a core theme. How we deal with grief is also a theme that's specific to our characters, but familiar for many of us who have had to find a way to understand it, to survive it and heal. Early drafts of Joy's Garden were written in the last years of my father's life, and shot after he'd passed, and was, like Joy's mother, absent. The idea and meaning of the garden in "Joy's Garden" is also an homage to him. More broadly, I was also thinking about the rise of high rise apartments in Nairobi that leave no space for children and children's play. I was interested in bringing this to light in our production design and create an opportunity to reflect the physical edifices we are building back to our audience.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script started out with a lot more elements, more characters. So much of the development process was about cutting the fat, really getting away from unnecessary drama to just focus on this single relationship. The film really has stayed faithful to that final vision though.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far the feedback has been generous. People recognise and identify with the father figure, and his struggles, and at the same time connect with Joy and her want.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I've been surprised to realise how many different audiences and communities resonate with the themes - where I might have thought of it as having a very particular audiences. But beyond that, I actually can't say that my view on the issues themselves so much has been challenged. I've loved the process. Especially getting to watch the film with an audience and observe the rhythms of how they react and respond and compare that with my expectations. The challenge has been more to me as a director, an invitation to fine-tune my process and aesthetic, but also be generous with the work, and the very real accomplishments of my cast and crew.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Wearemovingstories.com has curated a room full of amazing company, so I'm honoured to be on the same platform. I'd hope for more visibility, and perhaps a connection or two either to extend the life of the film, or for new collaborations.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would be especially connect with sales agents, buyers, distributors and journalists, to amplify "Joy's Garden" and get it out to more people who need this story, and would resonate with it.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I'd love for this film to spark conversations about what fatherhood looks like today, and also the physical environment we raise our kids in. I'd love to spark conversations and advocacy about what adequate facilities look like to allow for children's play, and access to the natural world, even in our most urban neighbourhoods, from an architectural and/or urban planning perspective.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Can a deadbeat dad learn to show up and do right by their child(ren)
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Writer/director Ngwatilo Mawiyoo wrote a second short, a magical realism drama currently in post-production under director Barbara Minishi. "Joy's Garden" lead actor Melvin Alusa starred in the action feature "Mission To Rescue", for which he won Best Actor at Zanzibar International Film Festival.. Editor Franki Ashiruka stays busy, she had both "Joy's Garden" at Pan African Film Festival as well as "Sungura" also a short. DOP Andrew "Dru" Mungai also worked on "Country Queen" - a TV series currently in post-production, expected to show on Netflix.
Interview: May 2022
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Joy's Garden
Length:
13:29
Writer/Director
“Joy’s Garden” marks NGWATILO MAWIYOO’s debut as a writer/director. The film received five nominations at Kenya’s Kalasha Awards, including best original screenplay and best short film. Her second short, a magical realism drama, is in post-production.
NGWATILO is a multi-award nominated poet and the author of two poetry collections. A graduate of The University of British Columbia’s MFA in Creative Writing program, she started as an actor, starring in Ekwa Msangi’s “Soko Sonko,” and elsewhere.
Producer
MUNGAI KIROGA is a scriptwriter, producer, camera operator, editor, and director.
So far he's written for five Kenyan TV shows and wrote the screenplay for "Something Necessary", a feature film co-produced by Tom Tykver. MUNGAI is currently In-house Producer at Docubox East Africa Film Fund, where he has produced several shorts. He's also worked as a content producer on various reality shows, commercials and documentaries.
Key cast:
Melvin Alusa (Edu), Torah Nato (Joy)
Looking for:
sales agents, distributors, journalists, buyers
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/ngwatilo/
Instagram:
Screens:
20th Annual Women of African Descent Film Festival, Facebook Live & Filmocracy (Virtual Event) - June 11th 2022