Showmax on Wednesday hosted an exclusive screening of the first episode of the new Kenyan Showmax Original thriller Igiza.
Screening the first episode of the show due to premiere on Monday, the cast and crew received praise for its strong debut.
Held at the Nairobi Street Kitchen in Westlands, the event was emceed by comedian Oga Obinna who moderated the media Q&A session with the show’s cast including Serah Ndanu, Blessing Lung’aho and Kevin Samuel, director and producer Abdi Shuria and other cast and crew members, media, and representatives from MultiChoice.
Introducing the screening, Denise Mwende, Showmax Content Specialist in East Africa, affirmed that Showmax is more invested than ever in local content, with Igiza being the fourth Showmax Original in Kenya in less than a year, with more to come in 2022.
“It’s been a good year for local content at Showmax, she said. “As a key player in the entertainment industry, we are proudly Africa’s greatest storyteller. The episode you’re about to watch tonight is one of our proudest yet, not just because we’ve had the chance to collaborate with world-class talent on a local stage but we also get to share these stories with the world, where even Kenyans in the UK and other parts of the diaspora have a taste of home.”
Denise praised Yare Productions for the work they’ve put into the series from beginning to end. “The journey with Yare Productions has been an exciting one, from pitching, scripting, casting, production and post-production. We jointly agree that this story is worth every single ounce of energy all the teams have put into it.”
Speaking about her role during the panel Q&A session, lead Serah Ndanu described her dual role of twins Linda and Nicole as a very intense process that was quite daunting at first, especially in scenes with both characters together.
“Igiza being a first of its kind and also having this much pressure, I was always dreading those scenes of Linda and Nicole together but I’m so happy that they turned out to be some of the best scenes,” Serah said.
Director Abdi Shuria expressed his appreciation to the cast and to the writers who have worked with him in rigorous workshop sessions to bring to life a story that so many Kenyans will relate to.
