Kitale Film Week returns for its fourth edition, running from 22 February to 1 March, bringing a full week of screenings and industry programmes to the Western Kenyan town.
According to the festival’s founder Peter Pages Bwire, the 2026 lineup offers award-winning feature films, urgent documentaries, and a “robust industry platform” designed to “fuel the next generation of African cinema.”
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“The last edition was exciting, but we didn’t have the level of industry engagement that we’re planning for 2026,” Bwire says.
The festival will open with Tosh Gitonga’s comedy Inside Job. Released on Netflix in 2025, the film follows two cousins (played by Eunice Mammito and Jacky Vike) who team up to seek revenge against a heartless businessman after witnessing an injustice.
“We looked at our position as an audience builder and where we are in our region because we wanted a film that would quickly resonate with audiences in Western Kenya at this time,” says Bwire. “Inside Job fit the bill because it has an easily recognisable cast, a story that resonates with many Kenyans, and is light enough for an opening night audience. We also acknowledge that it has been released on Netflix, but we want to give our audience the experience of watching it on a big screen with friends and strangers.”
The lineup also includes Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey (2024), which won the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlinale; Dani Kouyaté’s Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (2024), a Burkinabè Afro-noir reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth; and Zoey Martinson’s The Fisherman (2024), Ghana’s first official selection at Venice Film Festival.
From Kenya, the screenings include Wanuri Kahiu-produced drama Sarah (2025), which explores Female Genital Cutting (FGC) and early marriage in the Loita Hills; Nick Wambugu’s documentary The People Shall (2025), chronicling Kenya’s year-long youth-led activism that evolved into a national movement; and Zippy Kimundu’s Widow Champion, about a widow fighting for land rights for women like her.
In the short films section, Kitale Film Week is partnering with Lagos-based distributor FilmJoint on a curated selection that includes Barbara Minishi’s Inheritance (2024, Kenya), Nmezi Joy’s Slot (2025, Nigeria), Jordy Sank’s Fleas(Amazeze) (2025, South Africa), and Lydia Matata’s Float (2025, Kenya).
The festival will also pay special tribute to Kenyan cinema pioneer Anne Mungai, who died in November 2025, with a screening of her 1992 coming-of-age film Saikati. Mungai, who began her film career in 1980, was among the first Kenyan filmmakers to direct narrative features. Saikati follows a Maasai girl who flees an arranged marriage in pursuit of her dream of becoming a doctor.
Comedian and actor Charles Bukeko, popularly known as Papa Shirandula, will also be honoured alongside Mungai, with a spotlight on his work in Bob Nyanja’s comedy-drama Malooned! (2007). “His work shaped the careers of many creatives from our region,” Bwire says. Bukeko died in 2020 from complications related to COVID-19.
Running alongside the screenings, the festival’s industry programme will focus on TV production, audience development and film distribution.
“TV production, mostly driven by streaming platforms such as YouTube, Netflix and Showmax, represents the biggest growth and revenue opportunity in the African market,” says Bwire. “With our industry programme, we want to prioritise skills that are transferable between films and television, but with a TV-first mindset.”
The programme will be complemented by the North Rift and Western Kenya Film and TV Summit and a Film in Education initiative, delivered in partnership with Tunga Media Afrika. The festival is also introducing a new initiative, the Youth Critics Circle, aimed at nurturing the next generation of young film critics.
Please see the full lineup for the 2026 Kitale Film Week below.
FEATURE-LENGTH NARRATIVE FILMS
Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story (2023) | Luck Razanajaona | Madagascar
Gilgil (2024) | Jhe Waweru | Kenya
Inside Job (2025) | David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga | Kenya
Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (2024) | Dani Kouyate | Burkina Faso
Lama (2025) | Ediegu Joseph Innocent | Uganda
Malooned (2007) | Bob Nyanja | Kenya
Nyamula (2025) | Oskar Weimar | Kenya
Saikati (1992) | Ann Mungai | Kenya
Sarah (2024) | Nick Reding, Wanuri Kahiu | Kenya
The Bridge/Le pont (2024) | Walid Mattar | Tunisia
The Fisherman (2024) | Zoey Martinson | Ghana
You May Kiss the Bride Goodbye (2025) | Nodryn Evanci, Drake Makanga | Uganda
SHORT NARRATIVE FILMS
A Thousand Ways To Face Change (2025) | Victor Mugabe | Uganda
Alazar (2024) | Beza Hailu Lemma | Ethiopia
All In (2025) | Maurice Kiema | Kenya
Asabi (2025) | Emmy Williams, Zorah Calistus Chukwudebelu | Nigeria
Chikha (2024) | Zahoua Raji, Ayoub Layoussifi | Morocco
Conversations (2025) | Gladys Mwende | Kenya
Crown of Glory (2025) | Bob Morris Andika | Kenya
Falling Out (2025) | Alisanyukirwa Joy Matovu | Uganda
Fleas/Amazeze (2025) | Jordy Sank | South Africa
Float (2025) | Lydia Matata | Kenya
In Her Shoes (2025) | Ella Chikezie | Nigeria
Inheritance (2024) | Barbara Minishi | Kenya
Lees Waxul (2024) | Yoro Mbaye | Senegal
Mfuko (2025) | Donny Shadai, Kayongo Aloysius | Uganda
Mother (2025) | Olamide Adio, Victor Daniel | Nigeria
My Mother’s Diary (2025) | Mohamed Minani I | Burundi, kenya
Ovisa (2024) | Kolade Mann | Nigeria
Peek (2025) | Florence Mwendapole | Tanzania
Shall We Meet Tonight (2025) | Wapah Ezeigwe | Nigeria
Shiku (2025) | Wilson Osiolo | Kenya
Slot (2025) | Nmezi Joy | Nigeria
Terms and Conditions (2025) | Adio Solanke | Nigeria
The Adventures of Angosat (2025) | Resem Verkron, Marc Serena | Angola, Spain
The Last Harvest (2025) | Nuno Miranda | Cape Verde
Waters Above (2025) | Wanjira Maina | Kenya
FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
Catcher/Wrestlers (2025) | Derhwa Kasunzu | Burkina Faso, France, DR Congo, Saudi Arabia
Dahomey (2024) | Mati Diop | Senegal
Didy (2024) | Gaël Kamilindi, François-Xavier Destors | Rwanda
Donga (2023) | Muhannad Lamin | Libya
Garanti 100% Kréol (2024) | Laurent Pantaléon | Réunion Island
The People Shall (2025) | Nick Wambugu | Kenya
Widow Champion (2025) | Zippy Kimundu | Kenya
SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
Beyond Olympic Glory (2024) | Shedrack Salami | Nigeria
Dear Sikhonkwane (2025) | Sihle Hlophe | South Africa
Le Jardin – The Secret Story of Safi (2025) | Alan van Gysen| Morocco, South Africa
Uhuru (2025) | Olz McCoy | Tanzania, United Kingdom
Wetu Mythos: Threads of Becoming (2025) | Namatsi Lukoye | Kenya
What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me (2025) | Annabelle Ayangbade | Nigeria
Riding the Sardine Run (2024) | Will Bendix | South Africa
The Story of Freddy Rikhotso (2024) | Morrel Joel Shilenge | South Africa
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