Photojournalist turned activist Boniface Mwangi’s documentary film ‘Softie’ has been shortlisted for the Oscars Awards 2021.
‘Softie’ managed to get a position in the category of the Best Documentary Feature. It is one of the 40 documentaries shortlisted in that category as presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
‘Softie’ sometime this year won the award of the Best Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
This will be Oscar’s 93rd Academy Awards ceremony.
The main awarding ceremony will go down at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles on April 25, 2021.
Since its nomination, ‘Softie’ has been played in several festivals among them CPH: DOX, FullFrame the Encounters International Documentary Festival.
In Berlin, it was played at the Hotdocs Film Festival and the Human Rights Festival.
The documentary is themed around Mwangi’s life as a photographer and an activist agitating for equal and fair politics. It also features his wife Njeri Mwangi and his kids.
It is expected to premiere in Kenya on October 16.
It highlights his last seven years in the streets as a photojournalist, an activist and finally as an aspiring politician.
The film highlights the chaos that characterised some regions in the country since 2013 when the Jubilee government came to office.
‘Softie’ also highlights Mwangi’s moment in politics as he garnered for the Starehe parliamentary seat under Ukweli party ticket.
However, life in politics is not easy as it puts his family at risk triggering the question of what is more important; family or country?
The documentary shows how Mwangi and Njeri have struck a balance in their lives in the world of activism and family.
