NBO Film Festival will be place at Prestige Cinema & Venus in Nairobi from October 16–26, 2025
From October 16–26, 2025, the NBO Film Festival will return to its old location at Prestige Cinema on Ngong Road for its sixth edition. Other screenings will take held at Kaloleni Social Hall in Eastlands, Docubox at Shalom House, and Unseen Nairobi in Kilimani. This year’s festival continues its history of honoring African and Kenyan film by bringing viewers together to witness a variety of compelling tales from Kenya and the continent. Featuring global premieres, African premieres, and critically recognized international films, the festival will screen more than 26 films from more than 15 countries.
From personal portraits like “My Father’s Shadow,” to realistic depictions of urban life in Mombasa’s “The Dog,” to expansive pieces like “Matabeleland,” “The People Shall,” and “Khartoum,” the NBO Film Festival’s artistic director, Mbithi Masya, states, “This year’s goal was to program films that remind us that African cinema is defined by imagination rather than geography.” All of the stories, whether they come from Harare, Lagos, or Nairobi, are part of a much broader discussion about who we are becoming.
Directed and produced by Maia Lekow and Christopher King (The Letter), the critically praised Kenyan documentary “How To Build a Library” will start the festival at Prestige Cinema. Following Shiro Koinange and Angela Wacuka, the founders of Book Bunk, as they turn Nairobi’s oldest library, the McMillan Memorial Library, from a state of ruin and ruin to a palace of the people, the film makes its Kenyan premiere following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025. The narrative of “How to Build a Library” is ultimately about optimism, legacy, and futures based on creativity and community, not just books.
“East Africans have always relied heavily on storytelling as part of their cultural practices, and we are increasingly seeing how that translates into the kinds of films we want to make today,” says Sheba Hirst, co-founder and director of the festival. “The NBO Film Festival exists to amplify those voices to the rest of the world and to bring them into dialogue with storytellers globally.”
Sayari (Omar Hamza), Widow Champion (Zippy Kimundu), It’s A Free Country (John “JJ” Jumbo), Memory of Princess Mumbi (Damien Hauser), and The People Shall (Nick Wambugu + Mark Maina) are some more amazing Kenyan films directed by Kenyan filmmakers that tell tales of tenacity, inventiveness, and culture. “Aisha Can’t Fly Away” (Morad Mostafa), “The Weekend” (Daniel Oriahi), “Nana” (Matthew Joseph Mkoga), “Mothers of Chibok” (Joel Kachi Benson), “Mother City” (Miki Redelinghuys + Pearlie Joubert), “Memories of Love Returned” (Nate Guam Mbaho Mwine), and “Matabeleland” (Nyasha Kadandara) are just a few of the African films that will be shown.
The In-Competition section, which will feature five outstanding films—”The Dog” (Baker Karim), “Memory of Princess Mumbi” (Damien Hauser), “My Father’s Shadow” (Akinola Davies), “Promised Sky” (Erige Sehiri), and “The Fisherman” (Zoey Martinson)—raises the bar for this year’s program. The award-winning filmmaker, author, and speaker Wanuri Kahiu, who is known for her daring storytelling that highlights African joy and resiliency, will serve as the jury president. A distinguished Kenyan jury will use their wealth of expertise, passion, and vision to choose the winning film. The multihyphenate artist Elsaphan Njora, veteran producer Carol Kioko, who is the head of Kenya’s 48 Hour Short Film Project and committed to sustainable Pan-African storytelling, and award-winning actor, writer, and director Mūmbi Kaigwa, whose lifetime contributions to African arts and culture are unmatched, will join her.
“Shorts, Shorts and Shots,” a popular program created by DocuBox at Shalom House, will be featured again this year with a specific focus on Afro-Latin American film. At this beach-party-style event, attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite shorts while enjoying cocktails and watching a selection of African short films.
The dedication of the NBO Film Festival to discourse has always been a defining feature, and 2025 will be no different. After every screening, there will be Q&A sessions with the directors to increase audience participation and discuss current issues. The festival’s industry component will include screenings as well as roundtable talks, artist-to-artist exchanges, and pitch meetings with foreign buyers and distributors to further connect local filmmakers with the worldwide cinema business. The enchantment of film will continue to be enjoyed by a wide audience thanks to community screenings in Eastlands and major events like the Opening Night Gala, Closing Night Ceremony, and Wrap Party.
This year, the festival will also bring back its Creators Brunch, which offers a supportive environment for up-and-coming female creators to get guidance and form deep relationships with seasoned female leaders in the creative industry.
A cultural mainstay in Kenya and East Africa since its inception in 2017, the NBO Film Festival introduces audiences to a variety of stories from the continent and its diaspora while showcasing African cinema and boosting African perspectives. This year’s edition of the NBO Film Festival is expected to be the most exciting yet, solidifying its position as the mainstay for promoting the rich cinema and culture of our continent. It will feature a bold lineup of films, several locations throughout the city, and a number of industry activities.
