Nathan Collett
Encyclopedia
Overview
Collett's work focuses on those on the margins of society as well as on environmental issues. He has filmed across the world, including location footage in SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. He works both in fictional films and on documentaries, with a specific focus on Kibera
Kibera
Kibera is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, located from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the second largest urban slum in Africa...
in Kenya, Africa's largest shantytown. He is the founder of Hot Sun Films
Hot Sun Films
HOT SUN FILMS, is an award-winning film/video production and training company based in East Africa. It was founded by Nathan Collett. Hot Sun Films' work focuses on bring out a realistic, challenging and positive image of those on the very margins of society. It works to develop and expose the...
, a film/video production and training company. One of Hot Sun Films' projects is the Hot Sun Foundation
Hot Sun Foundation
Hot Sun Foundation is a project of Hot Sun Films. The Hot Sun Foundation is a non-profit organization that works in Nairobi, Kenya and with the young people of the Urban Slums of Africa to help train and expose their talents and potential on the world stage...
, a non-profit organization. The organization gives training to the youth of Kibera in film and video, and also started the first film school for local youngsters.
The Oath
The Oath is a 20052005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
short drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written by Collett and Njuguna Wakanyote. Set in 1950s Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
under British colonialism, the film portrays the struggle between two brothers on opposite sides of the conflict.
Kibera Kid
Kibera KidKibera Kid
Kibera Kid is an award winning short film set in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. It was written, directed and co-produced by Nathan Collett in collaboration with the locals of Kibera....
is an award-winning short film set in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. It was written, directed and co-produced by Collett in collaboration with the locals of Kibera.
Charcoal Traffic
In 2008, Collett directed the short film Charcoal Traffic, which was written by and co-produced with the Somali environmentalist Fatima JibrellFatima Jibrell
Fatima Jibrell is a prominent Somali-American environmental activist. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization , co-founder of Sun Fire Cooking, and was instrumental in the creation of the Women’s Coalition for Peace.-Biography:Jibrell...
. The film was shot on location in Somalia, and employs a fictional storyline to educate the public about the ecological damage that charcoal production can create.
Togetherness Supreme
In April 2009, Collett shot his first feature film Togetherness Supreme, in collaboration with the local community in front and behind the camera. It is the follow-up to Kibera Kid and was shot on the Red One camera, the first time the camera was used in Kibera to shoot a feature film. The film is set in Kibera, and focusing on tribal tensions and the possibilities of reconciliation in Africa's largest shantytown. Togetherness Supreme was first shown to the community in Kibera where over 3,000 people turned up for one screening, and over 26,000 people watched it in the community. The film has been dubbed "Slumdog without the Millionaires" by the Vancouver Film FestivalVancouver Film Festival
The Canadian city of Vancouver hosts three film festivals:* The Vancouver International Film Festival* The Vancouver Asian Film Festival* The Vancouver Queer Film Festival...
, in reference to the 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
. Togetherness Supreme tells a community-based authentic story of love, conflict and reconciliation in the midst of ethnic and political violence.
Awards
Collett won multiple awards for the short film Kibera Kid. Togetherness Supreme also won 'Best International Film' at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2011, which was the US premiere of the film. Togetherness Supreme also won the Global Landscapes Award at Cinequest film festival 2011Filmography
Collett's films as a director include:- Togetherness Supreme (2010)
- Charcoal Traffic (2008)
- Chronic in Kenya (2007)
- Sex to Survive (2007)
- Kibera KidKibera KidKibera Kid is an award winning short film set in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. It was written, directed and co-produced by Nathan Collett in collaboration with the locals of Kibera....
(2006) - The Oath (2005)
External links
- Article on community based approach / Togetherness Supreme
- News article on Togetherness Supreme
- KIBERA KID website
Video sites