FILM & THEATRE

The music-driven drama is a big-hearted exploration of love and survival, one that would hit even harder if it were shorter.

Directed by German-born, French-Iranian filmmaker Emily Atef, the film will open in Kenyan cinemas on 30 October.

The two actors bring weight to Likarion Wainaina’s exploration of death and grief, even as too much exposition undercuts its tension.

The two filmmakers discuss collaborating on the experimental documentary that explores womanhood and motherhood.

The Kenyan filmmaker reflects on the making of 'Anam's Wake' and the future of genre filmmaking in Kenya.

In Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, Lupita Nyong'o is the ideal Helen for his meditation on war and its cost.

A musician couple is pushed to their limits as dwindling gig opportunities collide with mounting financial pressure.

The Kenyan actor opens up about 'Bridgerton' S4, auditioning for 'House of the Dragon', fatherhood and the future of his acting career.

The pan-African alliance of Akoroko, Sinema Focus and What Kept Me Up will present the AFP Critics Prize at Locarno Open Doors 2026.

As it enters its second edition, Open Doors’ Africa-focused cycle selects filmmakers across fiction, documentary and animation from more than ten African countries.

'Truck Mama' follows a single mother and truck driver navigating dangerous roads to provide for her family, while 'Kikuyu Land' examines land and displacement in the Kenyan highlands.

Over a decade in the making, ‘Ben’Imana’ is Dusabejambo’s feature debut.

As streamers retreat from Africa, YouTube is quietly becoming home to some of the continent’s best films, but discovery remains the challenge.

While all art forms can make us feel and think, theatre offers something more immediate: the ability to see and hear, live and in front of us, the experiences of...

The documentary explores African identity, comic book culture and the contradictions of reclaiming an African superhero abandoned by DC.

A pan-African romcom that struggles to give its romance emotional and cultural depth.

The cross-border romantic comedy is set between Mombasa and Lagos.

The film continues its international festival circuit with a screening in Paris this May, following stops in New York, Sharjah and Cotonou.

Rather than a straightforward biography, the play uses narration and dramatisation in equal measure.

The play reimagines the arrest of Jesus through a feminist lens, using conversation, tension and sharp dialogue to interrogate power, faith and complicity.

'Showman Residency' blurs the boundaries between music, theatre and spectacle.

The Kenyan actor, known for screen roles in ‘Subterranea’ and ‘Shanga’, as well as her work on stage, reflects on her craft.

The film follows former lovers Amana and Kwame who must confront their past and face hard truths about their relationship.

A new generation of Kenyan filmmakers is building community and film culture.

'Story za Thuita', an experimental street theatre project, blends history, storytelling and political commentary.

On the night of Jesus’ arrest, five women find themselves trapped inside forbidden temple grounds where they face a deadly choice.

The awards celebrated the best of Kenyan theatre, recognising outstanding performances, productions and craft from 2025.

Rooted in theatre, Millicent Ogutu's directorial debut examines how communication and conflict shape the life cycle of a relationship.

With his current and future projects, the Ugandan filmmaker has shifted his creative process towards writing.

Directors Wangondu and Brown reflect on colonial land dispossession, inherited silence and the possibility of justice.

The play blends liturgical service and theatre in an emotional and sincere portrait of marriage.

Too Early for Birds’ 'Wangarĩ Maathai', 'It Takes Two', 'Redemption', and 'Followers' are among the theatre shows staging in 2026.

A hardened taxi driver confronts trauma, survival and identity in the unforgiving rhythms of Lagos.

The South African examines how Nelson Mandela's politics continue to resonate in contemporary struggles.

Journalist and co-director Bea Wangondu confronts land dispossession, family history, and the lasting impact of colonial injustice.

The duo portray a Nairobi couple unraveling under the weight of marriage.

In this exclusive interview, the actress talks about landing her role in 'A Quiet Place: Day One' and her next high-profile film 'Call Me Queen.'

From features and shorts to TV series, here’s a running list of Kenyan films and TV shows to anticipate in 2026.

Kenya's 'Memory of Princess Mumbi' and Nigeria’s 'My Father’s Shadow' are among our critics' best African films of the year.

From gutsy liturgical dramas to poetic solo acts, our theatre critic Tonny Ogwa picks his top 5 Kenyan stage plays of 2025.

Tosh Gitonga's 'Inside Job' selected as the opening film.

Kenyan comedy project about a tech billionaire who upends a rural village with free money, wins the Red Sea Souk Series Award

As Gathoni, Nungari Kiore, Gathoni Mutua, Renee Gichuki, Joan Cherono and Ellah Maina capture the fragmented psychological journey of GBV survivors.

Kenyan documentary feature 'Truck Mama' will premiere in competition alongside Somalia’s 'Barni', plus more.

The four musical artists will each play Nyokabi's young love interest Jonte, and another pivotal role from her past.

The play delivers an ambitious vision of AI, fear, agency and a collapsing future in a striking one-woman performance.

Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi on 'Mami Wata’s' success, his new project 'La Pyramide' and move to Rwanda.

'Milisuthando' remains undeniably a film of bold, searching ideas, full of unresolved beauty.

A young couple grapples with trauma in this Kenyan psychological thriller from Allan Bosire.

The producer-screenwriter-performer speaks on craft and the making of 'Free Me', her one-woman play confronting gender-based violence.

The 40-minute documentary takes viewers beyond the viral videos of dance group Masaka Kids Africana.

The Ugandan-American actor, documentarian and photographer reflects on art, identity, and the power of returning home through storytelling.

An unflinching account of Kenya’s year-long uprising that defined 2024.

The film is directed by two-time Oscar-winner Ben Proudfoot, and executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama.

A chance encounter with a photographer becomes a testament to the power of memory, and a reminder of what it means to honour a legacy.

A family reunion turns into a chilling nightmare of deep-rooted secrets, buried resentments, and inherited trauma.

The captures the tenderness of family and the quiet turbulence of a country on the edge of change.

Benson returns to the community torn apart by the 2014 abductions, documenting the mothers who continue to live, work and hope.

Three Ivorian women and a little girl navigate racism, faith, and belonging in Tunisia.

In this hybrid documentary directed by five filmmakers, memory and imagination converge to rebuild a city’s identity.

A Sudanese immigrant struggles to survive in Cairo in Morad Mostafa’s feature debut.

The film stands as a vital and deeply affecting work that documents a lingering legacy that continues to define South African life.

Ultimately, the film feels like both recognition and reconciliation, bridging the distance between generations.

The film aspires to be a bold, unflinching portrait of the disenfranchised.

Two women work to restore one of Nairobi's most iconic libraries, and a former whites-only space.

Everything in 'The Voice of Hind Rajab,' is choreographed from lived trauma.

The week-long event features 47 screenings with a lineup that includes 33 films from 15 African countries, presented at seven venues along the scenic Kilifi Creek.

Kadandara's films, those already released and those still forthcoming, do not seem to educate politely; they ambush.

The 10-day festival returns for its 6th edition with a strong lineup that includes Kenya's 'How to Build a Library' as opening film, and Nigeria's first Cannes Official Selection 'My...

The play refuses to offer solutions, instead, it dramatises the persistent, systemic nature of the issues it lays bare.

"We’re not here to do 'small African films.' We’re here to create cinema that competes on the world stage.”

Set in 2093, the story follows a love triangle between a film director, an aspiring actress and a prince.

AISFM aims to give African short films visibility, value, and a sustainable marketplace.

'Nome' was one of 13 African films screened in the inaugural Africa-focused Open Doors section at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival.

A troupe of misfit dancers, led by a fearless frontman, try to figure their way through life amid the chaotic and unfiltered slavery of modern Lagos.

The feature is written and directed by Tony Koros, and produced by Toni Kamau and Louise Kamwangi.

The prize will debut at the Surreal16 Film Festival (S16) in Lagos, Nigeria, taking place in December 2025.

Memory of Princess Mumbi becomes the first-ever Kenyan feature selected in the Giornate degli Autori section.

When Shula stumbles upon her uncle’s body, the funeral unravels buried abuse and family secrets.

Wakio Mzenge delivers a spellbinding one-woman performance that explores love, loss and identity.

A standout ensemble powers the revival of Kithaka wa Mberia's Kifo Kisimani despite issues with tone and pacing.

Kenyan producer June Wairegi on Locarno Open Doors and redefining how African films are made and distributed.

This documentary explores how brilliant minds from Global South countries like Kenya power the billion-dollar ghostwriting industry.

Edi Gathegi's turn as Mr. Terrific in James Gunn’s superhero blockbuster opens new possibilities.

The siblings will play twins Viola and Sebastian, the first time they'll be sharing a stage together.

Trevor Sagide's psychological horror short unravels a disturbing tale of captivity disguised as love.

Stuart Nash’s revival brings fresh urgency to the 1976 classic play by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Micere Mugo.

We unpack the strategy behind Kenya’s biggest film premiere and the business thinking of those who made it happen.

This tender documentary explores fatherhood, masculinity, love, and legacy across Zimbabwe and Botswana.

The play resists easy answers, dismantling simplistic narratives and urging the audience to reckon with Kenya’s complex legacy of justice, power, and impunity.

Cassandra Onwualu on how the new Pan-African film distribution initiative wants to take African films across borders.

This documentary honours the pain and power of the women at its centre and brings to light conversations that urgently need to be amplified.

In 2024, the festival announced a four-year focus on African cinema for its 2025 to 2028 cycle.

Ouma delivers one of the boldest and most emotionally honest solo acts on Kenya's stage.

Tonny Ogwa reflects on Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s impact on political theatre, resistance and African storytelling.

ChemiChemi brings rebellious biblical women to life with bold theatrical flair

The founder of Filmmakers Hangout is building peer networks and reshaping access and distribution in Kenya’s film industry.

This documentary explores the repatriation of Beninese artifacts and the meaning of return.

Director Lawrence Murage shares how they're bringing the fiery Kikuyu chief to life.

From swoony fantasies to sobering realities, African filmmakers are exploring love through the lens of class and culture.