The Kenya-set international co-production Call Me Queen is set to release in Kenya on 30 October 2026, The official trailer has also been released ahead of its theatrical rollout.
Set in Nairobi during the late 1990s AIDS crisis, Call Me Queen follows the bond between Queen, a Rwandan single mother living in a slum, and Anna, an Irish journalist, as they take on powerful pharmaceutical companies withholding life-saving treatment.
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The film is directed by German-born, French-Iranian filmmaker Emily Atef, known for More Than Ever (2022), which premiered in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, and Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything (2023), a Berlin Golden Bear nominee.
Atef also co-wrote the screenplay – adapted from Lara Santoro’s 2007 novel Mercy – with Kenyan-Ghanaian filmmaker Hawa Essuman (Soul Boy), Jeannine Dominy (Dangerous Beauty) and Josune Hahnheiser (Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything).
The film is led by French-Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (A Quiet Place: Day One) and Irish actress Denise Gough (Andor), with Dominic West (The Crown), Danny Sapani (The Diplomat), Charlie Carrick (Deep Water), and Laurent Lafitte (The Takedown) rounding out the international cast.
The Kenyan cast includes Nice Githinji (Subterranea), Michelle Tiren (Nawi), Lwanda Jawar (Pepeta), Helen Keli (Lazizi), Gerald Langiri (40 Sticks), Alan Oyugi (Lusala), and Edwin Ekirapa (Monkey Business).
Call Me Queen is also set for release in Germany on 15 October and will screen as part of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival’s Market Screenings on 10 and 11 September.
Crimson Multimedia and Yakwetu are handling distribution for the Kenya release.
Watch Call Me Queen official trailer below.
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