SOFTIE CASE STUDY

​

Film and Activism: An Impact Perspective of the Film Softie.

​

BY : CHLOE GENGA AND MIRIAM AYOO

​

​

​

​

​

BACKGROUND

​

• Softie is a story about the complex life of photojournalist turned activist and now politician, Boniface Mwangi.

​

• In a nutshell, it’s about belonging, politics, and what it means to be Kenyan.

​

• At the film’s core is a poetic tale of the two lives of Boniface Mwangi as he constantly struggles with the question, should love for the country come before family?

​

• Right at the intersection of this struggle, lies the heart of the film’s impact campaign.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

PLANNING FOR IMPACT

KEY MESSAGES

​

1. Being an active citizen is how we express our love for our country.

2. We cannot separate the personal from the political.

3. We know that systemic problems exist, but we have more power than we think. We can catalyze change.

TARGET AUDIENCE

​

​

IMPACT GOALS

Kenyan Public (Both Local and Abroad)

1. Youth

2. Activist

3. Lower/ Middle Class

4. Schools /Universities

5. Kenyan Diaspora

​

1. To provoke conversation and provide Kenyan audiences with an opportunity to unpack their role as voters

2. Bring new light to the role of activism and activists, giving the space new energy

3. Increase civic engagement on demanding accountable and transparent leadership.

IMPACT STRATEGY

DISTRIBUTION AND AWARENESS

(OUTSIDE → INSIDE)

​

• Premiere
• Theatrical/ Digital/ Broadcast
• Press and PR
• Awards

​

IMPACT AND

ENGAGEMENT

​

• Community Screenings
• Social Media Campaign
• Citizen’s Handbook

The Problem.

CHANGING

MINDS

CHANGING BEHAVIOUR

​

BUILDING COMMUNITIES

THE THEORY OF CHANGE

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………….

SSundance Film Festival – Official Premieredance Fi

​

​

​

​

RE- STRATEGIZING - BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

• The world was at a standstill and everything had to be put on hold.

​

• We shifted all our attention to online festivals.

​

• In addition, with youth being our main target audience we also began to heavily focus on building and nurturing our online community through the film’s website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

​

​

​

MEASURING OUR IMPACT�

In order to achieve our intended goals, we needed to evaluate and keep track of our progress. Hence we further broke down the campaign to the following objectives:

OBJECTIVE 1

OBJECTIVE 2:

Community Outreach & Engagement- Create a community of 10,000 responsible Kenyan voters who are informed and emboldened to challenge the status quo through the power of their vote.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Distribution and Awareness - Have 500,000 Africans watch Softie.

IMPACT DISTRIBUTION AND AWARENESS�

​

• As the country slowly opened up, the flexibility of the campaign took the forefront as we constantly adapted to changes.

​

• The feedback from the stakeholder screening was critical in shaping the impact campaign. In addition, the attendees also promoted the film on social media.

​

• For the premiere, due to the political themes of the film, we received a strict classification rating of 18 in a move to reduce the number of people who can see the film in theatres.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Stakeholder Screening & The Kenyan National Premiere

• Due to covid guidelines, we held the premiere in two different venues concurrently and they both sold out. Softie was trending online nationally, with much conversation centered on the film's themes and much-needed change.

​

​

• The film ran for 8 weeks by public demand as opposed to the 2-week cinema run which we initially planned. A total of over 5000 viewers attended the screenings, making it the most viewed non-fiction film in Kenya.

​

​

• Another unexpected impact outcome was the audiences sharing pictures online of themselves near the film’s poster, holding up their fist. It became a symbol of activism.

THE OUTCOMES

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Broadcasts

National Broadcast

​

• We cut the film to a 52-minute version and presented it for classification again. It received a GE (General Exhibition) rating.

​

• Locally, it was broadcast on KTN and garnered a viewership of 1,500,000. The national broadcast contributed to the larger outreach and countrywide sensitization.

​

• International Broadcast

It is available on Icarus Films, Vimeo on Demand, Amazon Prime, POV, iTunes, Docuseek, and BBC Storyville, BBC WHY.

​

YouTube Broadcast

On December 12, 2021, Jamhuri Day, Softie was made available to watch for free on YouTube, geo-locked to Kenya, for 3 days. Our objective was to increase the reach of the film through a more accessible means, which YouTube proved to be. At the end of the 3 days, we reached over 100,000 views, and 5,000 comments. We also provided the film again two weeks before the Kenya general elections (2022).

​

​

Digital Screening

After the cinema run, we were able to get the film on Showmax, which opened it to audiences throughout Africa.

​

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

• The attention garnered from prominent nominations and wins both internationally and locally provided a great security buffer for the film team, given the political nature of the film.

​

• We also used this momentum to build the profile of the film and the Kenyan documentary film industry.

​

• Notable Awards:
• Best Editing Award, World Cinema – Documentary - Sundance Film Festival

​

• Best Documentary - Encounters South African International Film Festival

​

• Willy Brandt Documentary Award for Freedom and Human Rights- Human Rights Film Festival

​

• Best Documentary - Durban International Film Festival

​

• News and Documentary Emmy - Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary (Nominated)

​

• Peabody Award (Nominated)

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND �SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT

​

​

​

​

​

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

​

​

​

• The impact message was encapsulated through the hashtag #changenisisi.

​

• We created infographics and other visuals to create awareness and inspire young Kenyans to take action including the music video for the soundtrack of the film, Naona Mbali.

​

• In addition, we launched the take-action page where viewers could get resources and find better ways to engage in activism. A key element of the page was a quiz entitled “What is your Style of Activism”, where the results are based on the profiles of one of the film’s characters.

​

​

​

​

Social Media and Online Engagement

THE CITIZEN’S GUIDE

• Based on data gathered from the stakeholder groups, initial community screenings, and further secondary research, we develop the ‘Citizen’s Handbook’ titled “Change Ni Sisi: An Introduction to Active Citizenship.”

​

• The interactive microsite houses practical information that speaks directly to understanding the role of elected leaders at both county and national levels, learning how to keep them accountable, and how to support community activists.

​

• The site got the most traction on election day itself, with 639 unique site visits.

​

SUMMARY OF SOFTIE SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT (2020 – 2022)

Built a total online community of 23,057 across all Digital media platforms;

Facebook

9500

YouTube

4500

INSTAGRAM

4081

TWITTER

3676

Softie Newsletter Community

3676

Community and Partner Screenings

• The rollout of community screenings was greatly affected by covid, both negatively and positively.

​

• Our grassroots tour took place in 6 different counties and our key focus was rural areas.

​

• Concurrently, we also launched a partner screening program that allowed organizations to set up their own screenings.

​

• We developed the Softie Host a screening guide to help structure the post-screening discussions and also train the moderators from both host and partner organizations.

​

• Despite going head to head with political events and campaigns we were able to facilitate over 40 screenings reaching an audience of over 4000, mostly youth aged 13-40.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

1. More women ran for office and won, compared to any other election in the country’s history.

​

2. An increase in the number of youth leaders voted in for various positions.

​

3. More transparency in campaign fundraising with an increase in politicians declaring their wealth and even those asking for donations from supporters.

​

​

NOTABLE GAINS IN THE 2022 ELECTION

CHALLENGES

• COVID-19 Pandemic

​

​

• Censorship/Government Retaliations

​

• Distribution

​

​

• Language

​

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

LESSONS LEARNED AND DISCOVERIES

• Adaptability: once the ball starts rolling, buckle up and be ready to pivot when necessary.

​

• Power of Momentum: Impact is dynamic and constantly shifting depending on your current opportunities and restraints.

​

• Timing: Start working on an impact strategy sooner rather than later.

​

• Try to find alternative sources of funding in addition to that from donors e.g. Audience wanting to pay to watch and it can be a possible source of income for impact.

​

• Unintended/Unplanned results can have a huge impact on the campaign: Poster Fist, audience purchasing tickets.

​

• Strong communications: especially in this current time, social media is powerful and good to invest in ( depending on the country context)

​

​

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

LOOKING AHEAD

• We hope to get the films into schools and universities, and offer it as a contribution to the many organizations, campaigns, and foot soldiers working hard on the issue of democracy, progressive politics, and active citizenship .

​

• We believe a film like Softie will remain relevant for a while to come. Its power to spark conversation and inspire was not just for the 2022 election cycle, but even more so for the years to come.

​

• Change is a long-term process and not an Event.

​

​

​

OUR PARTNERS

............………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….............