Experiencing Interruptions?

ACT OF LOVE

Juliana, a young mother, is pushed to the edge by the daily struggle of life in Nairobi. When her support system crumbles over the course of one day, she must decide whether she is able to care for her young child.

  • Eric Mwangi
    Director
  • Shelly Gitonga
    Writer
  • Shirleen Wangari
    Producer
  • Naomi Mburuh
    Producer
  • Mwixx Mutinda
    Key Cast
    "Juliana"
  • Talia Jasmine
    Key Cast
    "Baby Amina"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, True Story
  • Runtime:
    26 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 19, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Kenya
  • Country of Filming:
    Kenya
  • Language:
    English, Swahili
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cannes Film Agency

    Official Selection
  • Zanzibar International Film Festival
    Zanzibar
    Tanzania, United Republic of
    Official Selection
  • Swahili International Film Festival and Awards

    Official Selection
  • Fragments Festival

    United Kingdom
    Official Selection
  • KUGOMA Film Forum Mozambique

    Mozambique
    Official Selection
  • Sauti Zetu Film Festival
    Dar
    Tanzania, United Republic of
    Official Selection
  • Sauti Zetu Film Festival
    Daresalaam
    Tanzania, United Republic of
    People's Choice Awards
  • Fankeena Film Fest

    Somalia
    Official Selection
  • Under Our Skin Festival: International Festival on Human Rights
    Nairobi
    Kenya
    Runners Up: Best Kenyan Short Film
  • HACC

    Official Selection
  • Botswana International Film Festival
    Gaborone
    Botswana
    Official Selection
  • Mashariki African Film Festival

    Rwanda
    Official Selection
  • Mashariki African Film Festival

    Rwanda
    Winner Best Short Film
  • Global Film Exhibition

    United States
    Official Selection
  • Mombasa International Film Festival
    Mombasa
    Kenya
    Best Short Film
  • Kitale Film Week
    Kitale
    Kenya
    Official Selection
  • Luxor African Film Festival

    Egypt
    Best Short Film
  • Bantu Film Festival
    Gaborone
    Botswana
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • YAKWETU Online Limited
    Distributor
    Country: Kenya
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Eric Mwangi


Eric Mwangi is a Cinematographer and Director with filmmaking experience in the Eastern and Southern Africa region. His goal is to bring an African perspective to the global pool of life-changing stories, thereby contributing to the expansion of the African Cinema language. His stories focus on ordinary characters with unique drive and faced with impossible odds who are pushing the boundaries to create systemic change for the benefit of all.

His projects range from Documentaries, TV commercials and brand films to short films and feature films, working through production houses such as Zero Point Zero Productions [New York], Zeleman Productions [Ethiopia], YCF Productions [Zambia], Docubox [Kenya], One Fine Day Films and LBX Africa [Kenya], Skoll Foundation [USA], Freestyle Media [Kenya] among others.

Some of his career highlights include filming for the National Geographic Explorer Series on the ongoing Rhino Resurrection episode with Ami Vitale and Taylor Rees; Cinematography for the acclaimed Zambian TV drama UBUNTU, a first from that country on Showmax; a Netflix sizzle reel with Academy Award-Winning Director Roger Ross Williams; Emmy Award-Winning Documentary TV Show Anthony Bourdain - Parts Unknown; among others. He is also an alumnus of the American Film Showcase documentary residency at USC, California.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Act of Love was an incredible journey that was quite revealing and transformational for me on an issue that is very well felt and understood by women. I was a student of this story as I consulted with the incredible writer, Shelly Gitoga, from whose life this story is borrowed. The approach we settled on was to explore the contrasts between Juliana's expectations and her actual needs, then find a way to marry the arrising tensions into a story that makes her realise how important her child is, despite her circumstance.

I see this film as a type of baptism for Juliana into the motherhood journey. I would love for audiences to be so immersed in her troubles and left with no room to breathe. She has a critical goal in mind, but the child feels like an inconvenience.

To do this, I used a largely handheld approach to the shots, following her every goal, with quick cuts around urgent situations like fighting against time and obstacles to get to a job interview. This way, we can relate to her goals and aspirations and her inconveniences as well. We gasp for air with her and in the end, we exhale with her when relief comes.