The Kenyan-Nigerian collaboration East West Love will open the 13th edition of the NollywoodWeek Film Festival in Paris, where it will have its world premiere.
Set predominantly in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, with some scenes filmed in Lagos, the romantic comedy features a Nigerian and Kenyan cast led by Sunshine Rosman (To Kill a Monkey) and Brian Abajah (Married to Work), playing two individuals from different worlds drawn together by chance.
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The official synopsis reads: A spontaneous escape to Mombasa after a heartbreak turns into an unexpected path towards healing, friendship and love, forcing two individuals from different worlds to confront who they are and what they truly seek.
The film also stars Efa Iwara (A Naija Christmas), Elma Mbadiwe (Over the Bridge) and Emmanuel Mugo (Safari).
East West Love is directed by Tanzanian filmmaker Seko Shamte, whose film Binti became the first Tanzanian title to stream on Netflix, and produced by Dolapo Adeleke (Just in Time) and Folashayo Oke Sobo (Princess on a Hill).
According to a statement from NollywoodWeek, East West Love aligns with this year’s festival theme, “Voyage”, embodying the spirit of movement, connection and discovery. “The film takes audiences on a cross-continental journey from Lagos to Mombasa and back, weaving together love, identity and transformation across borders,” the statement reads.
Watch the trailer below.
Under Voyage, East West Love joins closing film Ogene, a Japanese-Nigerian feature about an intercultural romance told through the perspective of a Japanese woman living in Yokohama.
The lineup, which has expanded to include more territories outside of Nigeria, also includes Mothers of Chibok (Joel Kachi Benson, Nigeria), When Nigeria Happens (Ema Edosio, Nigeria), The Fisherman (Zoey Martinson, Ghana), Memory of Princess Mumbi (Damien Hauser, Kenya), Goat (Judy Kibinge, Kenya), and Batwing Unmasked: An African Superhero (France).
The 2026 NollywoodWeek Film Festival will take place in Paris from 6 to 10 May.
Sinema Focus is a media partner at the 2026 NollywoodWeek.
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