• The show is a high-end authentically Kenyan and yet globally accessible TV series.
• Its style and quality have earned it acclaim and set it on a path to completion of the full series.
The pilot episode of Kenyan TV series 'Country Queen' has created intense buzz and excitement in the industry.
The Kenyan-German co-production was shot between January 7 and 25 across various stunning locations in Nairobi, Machakos and Kajiado counties. It involved 45 actors, 51 crew members and 160 extras, almost all of whom are Kenyan.
With its cinematic production style and quality, the pilot has been widely acclaimed and will soon continue with production of the full series.
'Country Queen' focuses on the fast-paced and perilous world of Nairobi as well as on the slower rural life, as told through the rarely highlighted tribe of the Akamba community.
Playing the role of the ruthless and intelligent Vivienne is Nini Wacera, one of Kenya’s most well-known and loved actresses.
She has appeared in more than a dozen films and television series, including 'Desperate Housewives Africa' and 'Rafiki'.
Blessing Lung’aho, known for his roles on 'Mother in Law' and 'PREM', plays 'Max', Vivienne’s charming husband, a former gangster who now runs the seedy side of her mining company.
'Country Queen' has broken down barriers and created new norms based on its unique focus on the rural communities of Kenya, as well as its collaborative and Kenyan-focused production process.
It was first created in 2017 by a writers’ room, comprising 10 Kenyan creatives with diverse experience in visual storytelling, and with the assistance of Good Karma Fiction from Germany.
The writers included Lydia Matata, Annette Shadeya, Mkamzee Mwatela, Shirleen Wangari, Oprah Oyugi, Wanjeri Gakuru, Kimani Waweru, Florence Onyango, Ian Kithinji and Kamau Wandung'u.
As part of the process, all the writers underwent a series of workshops run by Brazilian Telenovela specialists James McSill and Carla Bohler.