Kenyan thriller 40 Sticks made waves when it premiered on Netflix in 2020, one of the country’s first films to land on the global streaming platform.
Directed by Victor Gatonye, 40 Sticks won nine awards at the 2020 Kalasha Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also earned eight nominations at the 2020 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).
Four years later, producer Fakii Liwai, under his SensePlay banner, is back with his second feature 2 Asunder, set to premiere in November.
Described as a thrilling drama, 2 Asunder tells the story of Jafari whose new marriage and future are threatened by dark family secrets.
Jafari sets out to marry the love of his life at his family’s expansive estate. The wedding is just as he expected, and determined to be his own man, he is eager to leave with his new bride, carve his own path, travel the world and start a family.
Being a first-born male, he is to be initiated into the upper echelons of the family in a ceremony to be held the morning after the wedding. But in the family den where the initiation takes place, he discovers a shocking secret that forces him to make tough choices.
Set in the 1% of the 1% of Kenya’s rich, 2 Asunder examines the long-lasting effects of traditional beliefs and practices through the lens of family and marriage.
2 Asunder was shot in Nairobi and Kiambu counties, and features English and Kiloka, a fictional language with Bantu influences specifically created for the film.
The key cast includes Stephanie Muchiri (Volume) as the blushing bride, Bruce Makau (Kina) as the determined groom, Kevin Maina (Groove Theory) as the treacherous best man, Sanaipei Tande (Kina) as the overbearing matriarch fighting against a ticking clock that threatens her family’s vast fortune. Makena Kahuha (Subterranea), Annstella Karimi (Baba Twins), Naomi Mburuh (Kina) and DJ Dii also star.
2 Asunder is directed by Fakii Liwali and Tony Mwaura, from a screenplay by Charles Chanchori. Liwali is executive producing alongside Betty M. Mutua.
“Being our second film, this is a different experience for us at SensePlay, especially because we’ll be doing a cinema run as well as showcasing it online on a pay-per-view model,” says Liwali. “This is a chance for us to really dive into the business of filmmaking, sell directly to the viewers and build an audience we can leverage in the future. We believe Kenyan and African audiences are ready to pay for great entertainment, and we have the creative ability to deliver that.”
“2 Asunder is a phenomenal story, and I hope the audience will appreciate how we told it. The whole process was nerve-wracking and very exciting at the same time,” says first-time film director Mwaura.
Watch the teaser below.
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