It's called Nderi Village, but you could read "Cinecittà" or if you prefer, "Kollywood", where the K stands for Kenya, like the Nigerian Nollywood.
The village on the outskirts of Nairobi, near Kikuyu town, in a few years has become the ideal place for the filming of movies and television dramas and this choice has allowed the population to find a job.
Thanks to the collaboration of the Kenya Film Commission, the young people of the area can learn a profession that is not only that of an extra or an extra, with the dream of becoming a great actor, but also that of assistant set designer, stagehand, painter, painter, electrician and some other kind of professional figure linked to the world of entertainment. In addition, the artisans of Nderi and surroundings provide the sets for every need and landowners set up corners that can become settings for the proposed scripts.
But that's not all, to shoot the scenes the directors also need the elderly, women of any age, children. Even animals.
"Here even donkeys know how to recognize the command "clapperboard, we're rolling!" - confirmed an insider to The Standard newspaper - there are dozens of local productions that use Nderi at every level."
We're talking more than 15 crews a week, a veritable film and television business.
Some TV series productions have built a real village, but there are also those who make their homes available, renting them for whole days, happy to earn money and at the same time appear on popular shows. Some series have been a hit in past seasons, such as "Tushauriane" and "Waridi."
Usually, young people who play small parts in films are paid 1000 shillings a day, but those who little by little have carved out an important role or are in demand because even though they are from the area they are already a well-known face and their professionalism is known, can earn up to 20,000 shillings. Even a modest house can be rented for sums ranging from 3000 to 10000 shillings per day.
Now some groups of young people from Nderi, who have learned the trade, have become producers themselves. As the Standard notes, the Nderi Film Village has seen the emergence of 250 film and television producers to date.
Now even students who want to learn the trades associated with filmmaking, from screenwriter to director, come to Nderi and participate with tasks of all kinds while practicing.
"In this way, an indigenous film industry can be born," they explain in Nderi, "and Kenya can be talked about not only for big foreign productions like "My Africa" or "The Tenacious Gardener," but also for local films that have already won awards at various foreign festivals, like "Supa Modo" and "Rafiki

(photo, twitter)