Rafiki

Rafiki (2018) is a Kenyan romance from director Wanuri Kahiu you can watch online on iFILM. Two young women from rival political families in Nairobi fall for each other.

Kena skates around the neighborhood and dreams of medical school; Ziki wears bright braids and refuses to fit any box. Their fathers are running against each other in a local election, and the whole estate keeps an eye on its "good daughters." When feelings flare between the two, they have to choose between each other and staying safe in a society where this love carries a real price.

Shot in saturated pinks and blues, the film draws on Monica Arac de Nyeko's short story "Jambula Tree." Kenya banned it for "promoting homosexuality," and Kahiu sued to win a week-long release so it could qualify for the Oscars. That fight made Rafiki the first Kenyan film to screen at the Cannes Film Festival. Stream Rafiki online on iFILM.