Crossing Borders: Finding Lulu and Cuando Haces Pop

 "There have been 27 school shootings this year. Maybe by October there'll be 30 more." 

So begins the trailer for "Finding Lulu", a short film directed by Gayatri Kumar and produced by Nyakio Wambui. Then we are asked: "How do you prepare for a country that has more guns than people?" Next, we see a Maasai Moran, sharpening a spear, wearing a Kenyan flag bead anklet. Lulu boldly approaches him and demands: "Nifunze kupigana" - Teach me how to fight.

Synopsis: "After learning about the culture of school shootings in America, Lulu's Kenyan community bands together to prepare her for life in U.S. schools."

 The trailer ends with the chant: "Usiue mtu, usiue mtu" - Don't kill anyone.

"Don't kill anyone" applies to Cuando Haces Pop (Once you pop), directed by Kevin Castellano and Edu Hirschfeld. This fun film with a twist in its tail/tale crosses the border between horror and comedy. Below is a review by Love Kassim:

"Cuando Haces Pop" (Once you pop) presents the story of Alicia and Ruth stranded in the middle of nowhere after they got kicked out of a car that was supposedly taking them to a music festival to perform. Once you pop provides a significant evaluation of the difficulties a band will go through just to get their music played, especially if it's made up of females.

They try to hitchhike to the next town and learn the hard way what it would really take to get a lift. Essentially, the film utilizes short, instantaneous and effective scenes that describe and exaggerate how they are limited to doing whatever the guy wants to get said lift.

The best remark I can give about the song is that it’s slowly infectious and one seems to return and replay it often.The song's infectious nature stems from its well-balanced, enticing sound, its positive vibe and its meaningful lyrics. We hear the interwoven styles of traditional punk and hints of pop, which seem seamless. It is difficult to achieve this mix of styles without being corny and Alicia and Ruth seemed to have done that.

I love the irony of the [not included to avoid spoiling the surprise! :-)] and actually enjoying their music.