Kilifi boy,12, heads to Rome for grand Tolo Tolo movie launch

Birya Said,12, is headed to Italy for the grand launch of the Italian big-budget movie Tolo Tolo worth over Sh 2 billion.

This comes after he was picked by the movie director Checco Zalone, during a scouting mission at Mamburui village.

Said co-starred in the movie produced by a prominent Italian film production company, Taodue.

The movie will be screened to the public in January 2019.

''My journey to stardom begun on March 25 this year, I was playing with friends and saw tourists coming as you know our African Behaviors we follow them upon seeing then,'' she said.

For Said and his family, the opportunity has completely transformed the family which was living from hands to mouth.

The Mother said she was happy seeing her child chosen to take part in an international movie.

''It has really supported me, my son acted the movie here in Kenya I accompanied him in Morocco and then Italy and came back now we are preparing for another journey to Italy for the launch on December 25,'' she said.

For her, she said life has been tough previously due to the high poverty levels and thanked God for enabling her son to get a chance that will completely bring a fortune to the homestead.

On the day he was scouted,  he was outside playing with friends when they saw tourists coming towards the school.

''My journey to stardom begun on March 25 this year, I was playing with friends and saw tourists coming as you know our African Behaviors we follow them upon seeing then,'' he recounted.

 To him, the tourists liked him for communicating with them in broken English which made them break into laughter.

Little did he know that it was a team of International movie makers who were scouting for a character that would fit in the movie Tolo Tolo

It was then that he said they chose him as the desired character that would fit in the part of the movie which was being shot in Kenya, Morocco, and Italy.

The 'Tolo Tolo' title of the movie was derived from a statement made by the "young movie star" while swimming at River Sabaki.

The Italian movie star while shooting reportedly said everyone must dive solo solo, an Italian word that means alone, but the boy shouted 'Tolo Tolo', and that is how the title was developed.

What followed next was a series of shooting in Malindi and Magarini before they proceeded to the other two countries where he and his mother stayed for three months shooting.

Locally they began shooting the film in Masheheni, Kibao Cha Fundisa, Sabaki Bridge which was the Kenyan part.

''We then traveled to Morocco then returned to Kenya in July and after Ramadhan and Idd traveled in Italia in August,'' he said.

In Italy Said said they shot the movie in Bari, then to Rome, Malta.

Said a firstborn in a family of three revealed that he played so many roles in the movie and one of it was shot at the mouth of river Sabaki and the Indian Ocean during high tides.

The scene displayed a lot of suffering and in the process, he committed a while.

''Now we are going to process our visa before ahead of our Journey to Italy on December 25,'' he said.

Asked what he feels to become a superstar at a young age- '' Just one movie is going to make me a superstar I feel good and pray that I go on this way,'' he said.

On his part Local location manager Ahmed Omar said he was happy Kenyans got an opportunity to be part of the production team of the Tolo Tolo movie and the government for according enough support to make it a success.

Tolo Tolo he said is a film about an Italian who came to Kenya and got support from locals and he decided to go with Said due to his kindness during the time he stayed.

''This boy from a little village in Mamburui who is among the main actors and has been in Italy for three months, we are going to Nairobi to prepare his visa the movie is about to be released I think by January 1 or 5,'' he said.

He thanked the main actor in the movie and the company Taodue who thought it wise to shoot the movie in Malindi Kenya. Omar said there are two more International films which would be shot in Kenya in Malindi.

The Breakthrough of Said clearly shows talents can be scouted anywhere regardless of one's status and shows there is talent in the country Just like that of Super Star Lupita Nyongo and others in the film industry.