More than a decade ago, Tarana Burke founded the #MeToo movement to give Black women and girls in particular a platform to speak out against sexual violence and rape culture. The movement hit the mainstream and Hollywood last year and Black artists continue to create work that reflects this powerful historical moment. The #MeToo movement is meant to be a rallying call heard across the globe for women whose voices have been stamped out, silenced and ignored throughout time. This movement is supposed to shine a light on rape culture, misogyny, harassment and the dangers that women encounter on a daily basis as they go about their lives. And yet, despite its promise, #MeToo has not quite opened its doors to Black and brown women and their particular perspectives.
Ugandan filmmaker Kemiyondo Coutinho is one of those artists. She’s speaking her truth through her explosive short film Kyenvu. done waiting for permission to speak her truth.
Instead, the playwright, actress and director decided it was time to share her viewpoint through her impactful and explosive film, Kyenvu.
Winner of the Pan African Film Festival’s Grand Jury Best Short Film Award and a finalist in NBCU Short Film Festival 2018, Kyenvu is a raw and breathless account of a fearless Ugandan woman’s determination to assert herself in a world where she's constantly being preyed upon. Coutinho stars in the film as the young woman who encounters street harassment daily. When she woman finally lets her guard down, she’s attacked in the worst possible way.
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