Kenyan film "Watu Wote" - all of us - has been nominated for an Oscar award for best live action short film.
The film is based on real life events where a Muslim man led fellow Muslim passengers in shielding their Christian colleagues from being shot by al Shabaab militants.
The armed militants had attacked a Mandera-bound bus near Elwak at around 7am on December 21, 2015.
Salah Farah, a teacher at a local school, confronted the militants together with fellow Muslim passengers as the attackers attempted to separate Christian passengers and shoot them.
The group told the attackers to kill everyone on the bus or leave them alone.
Kenyan short film 'Watu Wote' - Nominated for an
— Voxafrica TV UK (@voxafricauk)
The movie was in tribute to the 28 people killed by Al-Shabaab militants who attacked a Nairobi-bound bus in on November 22 2014
In November 2014, 28 people were massacred by suspected Al Shabaab militants who singled Christians from a Nairobi-bound bus they had hijacked.
During the 2015 incident, Farah was shot and wounded as he argued with the militants. He later succumbed to his injuries at Kenyatta National Hospital on January 17, 2016.
Congratulations to for your Oscar nomination. are part of the team that made this award winning short film about the 2015 Mandera bus. As we are proud to be associated with you.
— Boniface Mwangi (@bonifacemwangi)
A school boy and a man who attempted to escape were also shot. The attackers later allowed the bus to proceed to Mandera.
The attack inspired the creation of “Watu Wote”, a movie directed by Katja Benrath and produced by Tobias Rosen.
The movie premiered at the Westgate Mall on Tuesday coinciding with its nomination.
The film will compete with “DeKalb Elementary,” by Reed Van Dyk, “The Eleven O’Clock,” by Derin Seale, “My Nephew Emmett,” by Kevin Wilson, Jr. and “The Silent Child,” by Chris Overton for the top awards.
The 90th Academy Awards will take place on March 4 in Los Angeles, US.
Truly deserved ! Congrats crew, cast and producers from all of us at Kenya Film Commission. We are proud of you.
— Kenya FilmCommission (@kenyafilmcomm)