Experiencing Interruptions?

TALIYA

In an idyllic fishing village off the coast of Kenya, BABU, a poor ambitious but self-centered fisherman, ensnares TALIYA, a mermaid-like water spirit, in stolen nets. Unable to get his 'three wishes' (or is it five) as told in the village's stories of old, Babu decides to exploit Taliya as a grand magical theatrical exhibit instead. He employs the Village Storyteller to help sell his story to the masses but soon comes to conflict with the Chief's Son and a White Missionary Priest, who wish to end his act. He manages to co-opt the Chief's Son who sees Taliya as a Weapon to exploit. But Taliya herself just wants to go home and so must effect her own plan, using Babu's own MAL-FORMED eight year old son as a crucial part of her exit strategy.

  • Arnold Mwanjila
    Director
  • Arnold Mwanjila
    Writer
  • Joseph Gathogo
    Producer
  • Arnold Mwanjila
    Producer
  • Maina Olwenya
    Key Cast
    "Babu"
    Nairobi Half Life, Poacher
  • Mwajuma Belle
    Key Cast
    "Taliya"
    Poacher
  • Brian Ogola
    Key Cast
    "Jabari"
    Lusala, 18 Hours, Poacher
  • Caxton Osozie
    Key Cast
    "Chiriku"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 58 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 14, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Kenya
  • Country of Filming:
    Kenya
  • Language:
    Swahili
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4.6K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • NewFilmmakersLA
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 20, 2021
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival
    San Jose, California
    United States
    March 20, 2021
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Arnold Mwanjila

Arnold Mwanjila is a writer & director based in Nairobi, Kenya. He graduated from Columbia University in the City of New York with an undergraduate degree in Film Studies and Economics, and is also an alumnus of Mira Nair's MAISHA SCREENWRITING LAB in Kenya.

He has written and directed for various award-winning TV Shows including “MAMA DUKA”, “PENDO” and “AUNTIE BOSS”, for which he received a BEST DIRECTOR nomination at the 2017 RIVERWOOD ACADEMY AWARDS.

He is the Creator, Head Writer & Director of “WALIOBAKI”, a family sitcom that aired on KTN in 2016-2017, which he developed through MEDIA HUB AFRICA LTD, a production company that he co-founded in 2014 and where he serves as Creative Director.

WALIOBAKI received two nominations at the 2017 KALASHA FILM & TV AWARDS: BEST COMEDY and BEST PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY for Fevan Abraham, one of the three kids on the show.

Arnold is also the Writer & Director of “AISHA”, “SIRI” and “NAKUCHEKI”, 3 TV Movies commissioned by MNet East Africa's MAISHA MAGIC EAST (on DSTV & GOTV).

AISHA was nominated in SEVEN categories at the 2017 KALASHA Awards as well, including BEST FILM, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY and BEST DIRECTOR, winning TWO AWARDS, for the BEST LIGHTING & BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN.
He has been writing and directing VARSHITA! and NJORO WA UBA since 2018, both by MOONBEAM PRODUCTIONS for MAISHA MAGIC EAST channel.

T A L I Y A, a dark fantasy drama, is his feature film directorial debut.

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Director Statement

We are dreamers and storytellers.

We dream of good happy lives. We want to be successful, or, at least, appear successful because success results in, or is indication of, good happy lives. We want to be rich and famous. We want our stories to be grand.

We fail. And we blame others for our failures.

We succeed. Sometimes. Often at the expense of others.

So we dream up excuses for our own failures and invent stories to justify our ill-treatment of others in pursuit of success.

We diminish, demean, disparage and demonize others, turn them into monsters and villains in order to feel good about ourselves.

But maybe this is who we are, who we have been from the beginning of time: monsters calling others villains.

A proper African fable to me harks back to these primordial times. It questions our natures, suggests that maybe they are consequences of our creation, or of events that happened around that time.

T A L I Y A is an attempt to tell one such fable. One that speaks to these warring aspects within us; a morality tale that depicts these dualities without judgement (but with caution), that shows us as we truly are: needy, hopeful, dreamers who are equally greedy, selfish and ruthless in the pursuit of those dreams.