NBO Film Festival will return to Nairobi from 15–25 October 2026 with its biggest programme yet, introducing two new competitive categories, its first filmmaker retrospective and an expanded industry programme, alongside screenings, community programmes, city dialogues and filmmaker conversations across four venues.
The seventh edition will take place across Prestige Plaza, Unseen Cinema, Kaloleni Social Hall and the newly introduced venue Alliance Française Nairobi under the theme Cinema for Us.
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The festival’s Fiction Feature Film Competition, introduced in 2025, returns alongside two new competitive categories: the Nick Wambugu Prize for Documentary, awarded to the best documentary feature in competition, and a Short Film Fiction competition, recognising excellence in short-form storytelling. Wambugu, known for the documentary The People Shall, died in January 2026 after a battle with hypocellular MDS, a rare bone marrow disorder.
Jury chairs for the three competitions will be announced on 4 September, followed by the competition selections on 7 September.
“Cinema for us means creating a space where audiences can discover, celebrate and engage with the stories being made across Africa and beyond,” said NBO Film Festival Artistic Director Mbithi Masya. “We want this festival to be part of Nairobi’s public life and a place where people come together to experience cinema, exchange ideas, recognise excellence and imagine what comes next.”
For the first time, NBO Film Festival will also present a filmmaker retrospective dedicated to acclaimed French-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis (Dao, Félicité), who will attend audience and industry events during the festival.
Supported by EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture), the retrospective will revisit Gomis’ body of work and trace his creative evolution and contribution to African cinema. The full retrospective line-up will be announced on 9 September, followed by the festival’s opening film and major Special Presentations on 10 September.
The 2026 edition will also feature an expanded industry programme bringing together filmmakers and industry professionals through the NBO Project Showcase, creative labs and professional exchanges. The programme is aimed at supporting project development, collaboration and connections across the regional and international film industry.
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