‘Nawi' Star Michelle Lemuya Ikeny Thought She Was Auditioning for a School Play But Ended up in Kenya's Oscar Submission About Child Marriage
Nawi: Dear Future Me, a Kenyan-German coming-of-age drama about child marriage that was Kenya's entry for the best international feature film race at the 2025 Oscars, has made waves in Kenya, on the film festival circuit and beyond.
At the recent Beijing International Film Festival, the jury created a special jury honor to shine a spotlight on it. And on Friday, the movie won two awards at the Raindance Film Festival in London, one for best international feature and the second for the best performance in a debut feature, for its star Michelle Lemuya Ikeny.
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The young Kenyan woman is 15 now, but was 12 when the movie was shot. Her portrayal of a young girl battling child marriage in hopes of an education and self-determination has been praised for being multilayered and full of charisma.
THR's Georg Szalai talked to her about how she thought she was autioning for a school play, while ending up getting cast in Kenya's Oscar submission, how real-life experiences in her community mirror those of her character Nawi, wanting to empower girls and audiences, and whether she will pursue more acting opportunities.
Did you always want to become an actress or how did you get the role in this film? As I grew up, it had never been a job that I had in mind but I'm multi-passionate. Personally, I have so many dreams, and I could do anything. I didn't know it was a movie role that I was auditioning for. I just thought it was a school drama, and I signed up and tried out. Then we had a two-week training with an acting coach in Kenya. What really inspired me and what motivated me to want to play this was the story of this film. It was actually about these girls in my home, and it was a movie advocating for their rights. So there's no way I could say no. I had no idea what actors do or how they do it, but I was willing to try.
How did you know or figure out how to portray the experience of child marriage? What helped me be able to portray all the emotions was that I've interacted with these girls who are victims of early marriage. I have been their friend. We've lived together and seen them when this thing happened to them. So it is easier to do this because I've interacted with them. I know them, and I know how they feel. So I just tried to remember, 'Oh, my friends felt this and that. She didn't want this to happen, and this is how she felt.'
What was the hardest part of acting for you?First of all, I come from the Turkana community itself [where the film is set], so playing this, accepting to play this role alone, was a bit of a decision to make. Because doing this means, for my community, that I'm going against them. I'm going against those traditions. I'm trying to say no to what they've been doing for years. So it is a bit of a difficult decision to make as a girl, because my community would take me as a betrayer, defying all these rules. Yeah, accepting to play the role itself was a hard decision.
Also, the emotions were [challenging]. It's was my first time doing this. And what you do on camera and set while shooting is different from your real emotions. It may be a good day for you as a person, but you're supposed to act sad. But along the way, I had great mentors. The directors themselves were really nice, so I was guided.
What did you think when you heard that two German guys were making a movie about your country, even though they are so respectful of its experience and culture?It was crazy and also great, because it takes people from a different continent, thousands of miles away, to come and make a movie about this. I really thought it was a good idea, even though people from within didn't try to do something like this. But I thought it was a cool idea because I've also always wanted to be advocating for these girls, to be part of this journey to bring an end to early marriage. So I thought it was a good idea, and I was really ready to work with them. We just want this to end.
What has the reaction to the flm been like in Kenya and in your community?Ever since the film came out and we got people to watch it, there's been positive feedback from most of our audience. Especially the younger generation has responded very well. They now feel more empowered, and we are now hearing and reading the voices that were suppressed in the past.
When it comes to the older generation, the uncles and the fathers who are doing this, with some, I don't really know if they are fully convinced. They are the people we really want to talk to, we really want the movie to influence. But so many conversations have been sparked on this topic, conversations that before the movie was out, noone could have. Very few people stood up to talk about this topic. It was a topic that was avoided. So many people are now against this. So many people now are not afraid anymore and are ready to speak up for themselves. And we've also shown the movie to girls in high schools, and they've written letters to their future selves [like Nawi does in the film]. I think it has really influenced them to dream big and not to be afraid of anyone, and not to be afraid of speaking out for themselves.
The movie seems to have also traveled well, screening and winning awards in various parts of the world. How do you feel about making a global impact? I didn't think the movie would go this far [and beyond] Kenya and Turkana. But because it is making a global impact, I'm so happy because now so many people know what is happening here. It's a really good feeling to know that this is really working. People are now reaching out to us, wanting to help these girls, wanting this to come to an end, so we're getting help from people from the outside. I just love how the world gets to know the truth. It's been kept a secret for so long, and now that it's out, I'm glad that you're getting positive feedback, and many people want to support us.
How amazing was it to find out that Kenya submitted the film for the International feature film Oscar?It was so quick. This is my debut film, and it was so crazy when they said it's been submitted for the Oscars. It was so cool. And I was so happy because as the official submission from Kenya for the Oscars, I knew that the movie would get more recognition, and if you get more recognition, people get the message. So that was what I was really happy about. I'm just a kid, and being associated in any way with the Oscars was something so cool, and I was happy.
Do you think of yourself as a rule breaker or social activist?If my community has taken me to be a social activist, a rule breaker or just a rebellious teenager, I really don't care, as long as I get to convey this message to the outside world, and as long as these girls get justice, as long as we bring up these voices that were suppressed. I'm ready to be an activist. I'm ready to break any rule that helps avoid the loss of life of these girls and avoids a girl living a life that she doesn't want. I'm ready to advocate for that.
How is school going and how much longer is it for you?I'm 15 years old and in my second year of high school. I have two more years of high school, then I have another national exam. I was in my last year of primary school, and we also sat for my national exams when we were shooting the school. I go to school in Nairobi, but we're just home for a short break of one week.
Are you thinking about doing more acting in the future? Yeah, I am thinking of doing more acting, because I feel like film is a very nice way of storytelling, a very nice way of conveying a message to society. So I'm thinking of doing more acting, but am also focused on school. I want to make sure my grades are good in school, because I also just have many dreams. In my community, there are girls who have not been able to get this opportunity to get an education and to get to study. So, I also don't take it for granted, and that's why I really want to work hard in my studies.
Do you think you might want to go to acting school? I would love to go to acting school. But as I said, I'm kind of multi-passionate. I don't want to just do one thing in life. I want to do so many things, take many different career paths, because I find that interesting, and it makes life a bit more interesting. So yeah, I would love to go to acting school. I would love to go to medical school. I have also thought of engineering and maybe law. I'm just trying to figure it all out. I'll figure it out.
Thanks so much for your time. Before I let you go, is there anything else you would like to share? I feel that how we are living right now and what is happening right now is a result of what the previous generation in my society did and the decisions they made. That's why this is happening. So I really love Nawi because this film tells a story that the generations before us could not tell or were afraid to tell people. So I would really love to tell people not to be afraid of speaking up for themselves and not allow the traditions in your community to determine who you will be. For example, I would tell a girl: You can. You are more than just a wife. You can be so many things in life, and not just a wife. This film is telling a story that generations before us could not tell or were afraid to speak about in public. And it just asks them to dream big, be positive in life. You can be anything you want to be.
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