Film Image
In My Genes
2009
Color
78 minutes
Kenya
English/Swahili
English subtitles

In My Genes

What is it like to be 'white' in a 'black' society? IN MY GENES shares the lives of 8 people with albinism in Kenya. It reveals the uplifting life story of Agnes, a woman with albinism of few means who heads a household of 7 children, her 17-year-old daughter expecting another. During the course of the documentary, Agnes discovers she has skin cancer and finds out the real reason why she lost both of her eyes. Yet Agnes keeps going, trusting in the work of her hands and the strength of her God. The threads of the woolen baskets she weaves blindly hold her family together as she tells us her story.

Interviews with seven other individuals inter-cut Agnes’ narrative to share their unique experiences of living with albinism. They ponder on questions about the effects of their condition on aspects of their childhood, adolescence, sexuality, race, and dreams.

IN MY GENES, directed by Academy Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress Lupita Nyong'o, presents an intimate introduction to albinism, and asks us to consider how it feels to be a member of one of the most hyper-visible and yet invisible groups of people in a predominantly black society. It is a film on disability, minority discrimination, identity, issues of representation, confidence and perception of the other.
Pricing & Ordering
Buyer Type Format Sale Type Price
Higher Education Institutions DVD Sale $300.00
K-12, Public Libraries & Select Groups DVD Sale $80.00
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Reviews
“A candid exposé of what it means to live with albinism in Africa, the direct essence of our being.” - Isaac Mwaura, Albinism Society of Kenya
“With her documentary, Lupita Nyong’o tells us about ourselves. About our ability to stigmatize and exclude. Our inability to accept difference. Through CK, Mwaura, Alex and the others- all of whom have faced the challenge of being born with albinism- but mostly through Agnes, Lupita helps us to see life from the perspective of a segment of our society that is highly visible, yet totally invisible in all areas of life. It leaves us with a sense of shame that we can so sorely lack understanding, but it also leaves us with a sense of pride that despite all odds, one can, like Agnes, triumph. It is a must see for all who want to learn, to understand.” - Mumbi Ngugi, Albinism Foundation of East Africa
“…A salutary rebuke to prejudice, in all its forms… IN MY GENES therefore becomes an important, challenging and, above all, necessary film. Ms. Nyong’o deserves praise for the conversation her debut film invites us to have with ourselves after we have seen it and taken it all in. The dedication is to “different people.” Lest we forget: we are all different but the same, as human beings.” - Mwalimu John Sibi-Okumu, Kenyan writer, actor and television presenter
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. A passionate rebuttal of prejudice and discrimination." - LaRoi Lawton, Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO)
Awards

• Best Documentary, Five College Film Festival, Northampton, 2008
• Souvenir Selection, Africala Film Festival, Mexico City, 2008
Screenings
• New York African Film Festival, 2009
• Zanzibar International Film Festival, 2008
• New Face of Africa Series, Salt Lake City Film Center, 2008
• Re-Imagine Kenya, New York, 2008
• Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, 2007

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