Picture this: you’re at the latest edition of Mini Movie Marathon, a series of screenings celebrating new and exciting voices in Kenyan film. Amidst the regular collections of stories, you catch an intense psychological drama about suicide and then after, a harrowing time loop sci-fi.
Not only do these two films—Silence of Music and The Great Clock of 1882—share a unified voice, but they also the creations of Trevor Sagide, a young filmmaker determined to stand out in an industry that, more often than not, resorts to cliché and overused genres.
I recently sat down with Sagide to discuss his love for cinema, his influences, how he developed his distinct voice as a budding auteur and the need for greater genre diversity on Kenyan screens.
His love for films began with his mother, he tells me. “I do not remember discovering films on my own. I do not remember her ever being a movie fan, but she somehow thought it would be the best thing for me. She was more than right.”
His personal taste reflects a love for films that challenge the audience intellectually and emotionally.
“My favorite films are Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Anatomy of a Fall, and Hereditary,” he says. “These movies are entertaining in different ways, but what they have in common is the impact they have had on me both on a spiritual and psychological level.
I love Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan because I believe they are the key to great cinema. Nolan is why I began making films, and Shyamalan inspires me to stay original in my work.”
Sagide gravitates towards psychological horror or thrillers. “Many times, these films require you to participate in understanding them. I cannot help but love having my mind bent while battling the anxiety of watching these movies.”
The variety and uniqueness of the films and filmmakers he admires are intentionally reflected in his own work. For instance, Silence of Music is a tender yet unsettling drama of a young woman struggling with the idea of suicide. The subject matter is treated deftly as Sagide allows colour, and especially music, to envelop the young woman’s world before she slips away. The audience witnesses the film’s repeating structure, where choices branch off as her survival instincts kick in a little too late.
Similarly, repetition is an important aspect in The Great Clock of 1882. Scenes recur due to a time loop as a young man realises he’s reliving the end of his life. There’s depth to be found in the genre tropes Sagide employs, especially on the impermanence and vastness of life beyond our understanding.
“This (The Great Clock of 1882) is the most somber film I’ve ever created,” he says. “Its message isn’t intended to encourage or inspire. Instead, it explores the smallness and finiteness of our existence, emphasizing that some forces are far greater than us – mysteries that will always remain beyond our understanding and control, no matter how hard we search for answers.”
For a young filmmaker to demonstrate such philosophical depth and channel it into his craft is promising for the future of Kenyan cinema. Where most young genre filmmakers would go maximalist in style and match with a rapid pace in editing, Sagide understands the value of holding a shot.
“How I play with structure in my films is heavily inspired by Nolan,” he says. “The films I have made so far have little to no budget, but I learned through Nolan that the plot could be basic but entertaining when presented uniquely. Also, by watching Denis Villeneuve’s work, I have grown more comfortable with holding shots for as long as possible in my edits which appeals to me as a filmmaker.”
As an independent filmmaker at the beginning of his career, Sagide is aware of his limitations. Much like the greats before him, genre becomes a powerful tool in managing expectations, while still crafting entertaining films. Yet genre can only define certain aspects of a film, it needs to be channeled by an astute filmmaker.
“I like looking for cool ideas that I can present in cool ways. I rarely think of the genre,” he says. “Psychological thrillers/ horror is always set at default in my mind, but if the genre does change, it usually does on its own. Characters usually come last – I seek characters that fit the concept and theme of the story, unless the character is born from a feeling, like in Silence of Music.
Emotion is at the core of Sagide’s films, including his found footage horror Corrupted File and his surreal psychological thriller I Think I am God, which shares many similarities with Silence of Music.
“My characters are always undergoing some form of psychological torment as they struggle to control the situations they are in,” he says.
What genre film strengthens is how a personal voice can become universal. His two projects – I Think I am God and Silence of Music – deal with the stark horrors of young people suffering in isolation. These themes resonate with his life experiences.
“I wrote these two films because I was not in a good place in my personal life,” says Sagide. “I had these feelings that I couldn’t say and when I tried to say them, they weren’t properly heard. So, I wrote characters who physically battle these feelings, like the shadow following the girl everywhere in I Think I am God and the voices tormenting the girl in Silence of Music.”
Watching Sagide’s films is significant proof of how genre can embolden a filmmaker, amplifying their unique voice.
Necessity is the mother of all invention. The greatest pieces of genre cinema – and the genres themselves – were born out of filmmakers challenging conventions with an independent spirit. It can be fairly frustrating then that Kenyan stories remain squarely focused on a narrow set of narratives, especially crime stories.
“I am not a fan of the Kenyan film and TV industry. It’s not a brave industry,” says Sagide. “Films full of Kenyan stereotypes like gang violence, and the Nairobi struggles – films that try to be original to what we are used to in Kenya – try so hard to be like international films, specifically Hollywood films. This leads to poorly made films with tired American tropes and stereotypes.”
A recent example of this is Netflix’s Kash Money. While visually splendid, the series is a jumble of repetitive tropes and cheap tricks, lacking a real sense of Kenyan identity. Foremost a screenwriter, Sagide attributes this to the industry’s lack of emphasis on the process and craft of writing.
“I love how fast we are growing on the technical side of filmmaking, but our writing, which is key to a better industry, is not very good. Good visuals won’t hold the industry for too long,” he says.
Sagide isn’t alone in his pursuit of genre storytelling. Among Kenya’s many crime dramas and slice-of-life narratives, is Likarion Wainaina’s (Supa Modo) bold sci-fi series Subterranea (2024), a first in the country.
Though limited in scope, Subterranea is boundless in imagination as the series follows a group of survivors trapped in an underground bunker after a psychological experiment gone wrong.
Where the budget is often a major concern, Wainaina finds ways to innovate by staging his work in a single location and employing his craft to create the desired effect. The use of psychedelic colors to examine character moods, contrasted with lighting for darker skins tones, is a technical innovation more Kenyan filmmakers could learn from.
As a genre, sci-fi is so vast, that Wainaina isn’t beholden to classic tropes like firing lasers and space battles. Instead, in the guise of a futuristic calamity, he explores the human psyche concerning the Kenyan experience.
Although they are at different stages in their careers, both Sagide and Wainaina share a deep fascination with genre as a means of exploring richer themes and characters. All of this can only come from a strong sense of storytelling.
“When I come up with an idea, I don’t rush straight into writing. Instead, I let it develop in my mind, exploring where my imagination takes me. When I start writing, I create as many drafts as possible,” says Sagide. “Before filming, I enjoy creating shot lists and storyboards. If time is limited, I prioritize shot lists. I’m a fan of capturing extensive footage — much to the frustration of my crew — – but it makes editing in post-production so much more satisfying. I also prefer working with a small crew, as it’s much easier to manage and maintain control.”
As any filmmaker would attest, a calibrated production process can save an ample amount on the budget. What genre accomplishes especially under tight budgets is it provides unique challenges that elevate the craft and art form of our cinema as a whole. This is critical for young voices like Sagide’s looking to break into the industry.
“This is the fastest way to grow our industry because we will have an audience for everything. Kenyans who love sci-fi and horror will be there to watch our sci-fi and horror films. But as it is, if I want to watch these genres and there are none here in Kenya, I’ll just open Netflix and watch Interstellar instead. If one argues there are no audiences for such genres, I would say there are. It’s just that Kenyans don’t believe we can make anything outside of impact films, comedy and documentaries,” he says.
Through shared influences and film interests, a young filmmaker like Sagide is poised to follow in the footsteps of visionaries like Wainaina. Exploring the uncharted can only help the industry grow and capture greater global attention. To Sagide, genre is not just a storytelling tool—it’s a way to connect deeply with ourselves
“I believe these genres are the best avenues to explore the mind and the unknown. The mind is incredibly intricate, and the unknown is endlessly frightening. I’m driven by a desire to understand myself, yet I’m equally terrified of what I might uncover in these uncharted territories.
Our fear of the unknown is deeply connected to the way our minds function. I want to share these fears and insights with others. They’re far too haunting and complex to keep to myself.”
Sagide continues to explore these themes in his forthcoming projects, including his next short film Hunger, while sharpening his skills as a writer and director with hopes to one day win Kenya its first Oscar.
Trevor Sagide is an award winning independent short filmmaker. His films are available to watch on his youtube channel.
