A Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya Colony
2009
1 h 27 min
Coming soon
This autobiographical documentary revisits the Mau Mau Rebellion of the 1950s. More than 50 years after the conflict, in which the director participated as a young British soldier stationed in Kenya for his national service, he confronts his past with audacity and unflinching self-inquiry. Combining McWilliams' own photographic record of the times with original animation and archival imagery, A Time There Was crafts a thoughtful account of the Mau Mau Rebellion – one of the most contentious episodes in Britain’s imperial endgame.
Details
This autobiographical documentary revisits the Mau Mau Rebellion of the 1950s. More than 50 years after the conflict, in which the director participated as a young British soldier stationed in Kenya for his national service, he confronts his past with audacity and unflinching self-inquiry.
Combining McWilliams' own photographic record of the times with original animation and archival imagery, A Time There Was crafts a thoughtful account of the Mau Mau Rebellion – one of the most contentious episodes in Britain’s imperial endgame.
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directionDonald McWilliams
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editingDonald McWilliams
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collaborationKaren Feiertag
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narration writerDonald McWilliams
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narrationDonald McWilliams
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cameraJames AquilaJohn Walker
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production managerKaren Feiertag
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still photographyKaren Feiertag
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sound recordistKaren Feiertag
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participationMwaria NjumaJohn NottinghamAchrroo Kapila
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translatorTerry Wairimu
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transportationJohn BisleyArthur Taylor
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animationMarcy PageRandall Finnerty
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drawingGail Lamarche
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animation cameraPierre LandryThea Pratt
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photographic scansPierre LandryThea Pratt
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infographySuzie SynnottSarah MarchandKaren Feiertag
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digital imaging specialistSusan Gourley
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technical pathSusan Gourley
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sound editingOana Suteu
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dialogue editingClaude Chevalier
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translationJane Nyoike
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original musicKevin Dean
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musicianKevin DeanMichel LambertJean-Gabriel Lambert
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improvisationPierre BéluseJean-Guy PlanteLuigi AllemanoGeoffrey Mitchell
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studio recordingGeoffrey MitchellLuc LégerMatthew ThomsonSylvain Cajelais
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music pre-mixGeoffrey MitchellLuc LégerMatthew ThomsonSylvain Cajelais
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re-recordingJean Paul Vialard
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titlesGaspard Gaudreau
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online editingYannick Carrier
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technical co-ordinationJulie LaperrièreSylvain DesbiensLouis DupuisSteve Hallé
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digital editing servicesDanielle RaymondMartine ForgetIsabelle PainchaudPierre DupontAmélie Bolduc
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French sub-titlesRobert Paquin
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picture researchElizabeth KlinckKaren FeiertagDonald McWilliams
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music researchElizabeth KlinckKaren FeiertagDonald McWilliams
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rightsElizabeth KlinckKaren FeiertagDonald McWilliams
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marketingMoira KeigherAnnmarie MartinPhilip Lewis
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administrationGisèle GuilbaultMarie-Christine NadonRosalina Di SarioLysanne Fortier
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executive producerRavida DinDavid Verrall
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producerMarcy PageAdam Symansky
Education
Ages 17 to 17
History - World History
Indigenous Studies - History/Politics
Indigenous Studies - Identity/Society
Preteach the following: locations of Kenya and Nairobi, British colonial rule, Kikuyu. Discuss the treatment of the African Kikuyu under British rule. Why did Britain find it necessary to treat the Africans in this manner? Who were the Mau Mau and what was their mandate? As with other similar battles in history, independence came with a high price. Explore and discuss this statement. Were the Mau Mau terrorists?
