“I Believe That Stories Need to Try to Communicate Beyond Their Intended Audiences”: Sam Soko on His Sundance Doc Softie

Politics is a dirty business for sure. But too often we in America take for granted what younger democracies would view as unthinkable. That a strongman and his opponent might not broker a shared power arrangement behind closed doors. That police would not blithely shoot people who protest electoral outcomes in the streets. That one uncorrupt citizen determined to make change without paying constituents directly for their votes might be a viable candidate. These are the hopes and dreams embodied by Boniface “Softie” Mwangi, the grassroots activist turned politician star of Nairobi-based director Sam Soko’s intimate, Sundance (World Cinema Documentary Competition) debuting portrait Softie.

Prior to the doc’s January 25th premiere Filmmaker caught up with Soko to learn more about following this idealistic Kenyan’s run for office in a regional election – a rollercoaster ride filled with both inspiring optimism and very real death threats.

To read my interview visit Filmmaker magazine.