I Want To Be A Pilot

2006, 12 minutes

Award-winning short film about the dreams of Omondi, a young orphan living in the slums of Kenya’s capital. A powerful and poetic filmic protest from a member of the crew that made The Constant Gardener. This award-winning Kenyan-Mexican short film documentary shows a poverty-stricken boy in one of the poorest parts of Kenya who looks up towards the heavens and dreams of
being an airline pilot – of being able to fly. We see the boy picking his way through the filth of the urban slums as a child’s voice-over says: “My last meal was Sunday. Today is Wednesday.” Director Quemada-Diez chose to cast local actors, with the narrator being the only one selected who was not an orphan himself. The director testifies how amazed he was when the boy, or any other child in such a situation, thanked him… simply for listening.

Credits

Themes
Poverty
Suitable for
havo/vwo - bovenbouw
hbo/wo
mbo - niveau 1 & 2
vmbo b/k - leerjaar 3 & 4
vmbo t - leerjaar 3 & 4
Director
Diego Quemada-Díez
Country of production
Kenya, Mexico, Spain
Type
Fiction, Short
Duration
12 minutes
Year
2006