NBO Film Festival is back for its 6th edition, taking place from 16th to 26th October 2025 at its original home, Prestige Cinema on Ngong Road, with additional screenings at Kaloleni Social Hall in Eastlands, Docubox at Shalom House and Unseen Nairobi in Kilimani. Upholding its tradition of celebrating Kenyan and African cinema, this year’s festival invites audiences to experience diverse and powerful stories from Kenya and across the continent. The festival will showcase over 26 films from over 15 countries, featuring world premieres, African debuts and acclaimed international titles.
Mbithi Masya, Artistic Director, NBO Film Festival says, “From intimate portraits, such as ‘My Father’s Shadow’, to gritty portrayals of life in our cities in ‘The Dog’ shot in Mombasa, to sweeping works like ‘Matabeleland’, ‘The People Shall’ and ‘Khartoum’, our goal this year was to program films that remind us that African cinema is not defined by geography, but by imagination. Each story — whether from Nairobi, Lagos, or Harare — is a piece of a much larger conversation about who we are becoming.”
The festival’s opener at Prestige Cinema will be the acclaimed ‘How To Build a Library’ Kenyan documentary, directed and produced by Maia Lekow and Christopher King (The Letter). The film making its Kenyan debut after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival (January, 2025), follows the founders of Book Bunk: Shiro Koinange and Angela Wacuka, as they restore McMillan Memorial Library, Nairobi’s oldest library from abandon and ruin to a palace of the people. ‘How To Build a Library’ is ultimately a story not just about books, but about hope, heritage and the futures built on imagination and community.
Festival co-founder and director Sheba Hirst, says: “For East Africans, storytelling has always been the cornerstone of our cultural practice and we are increasingly seeing how that translates into the kinds of films we want to make today,” adding, “The NBO Film Festival exists to amplify those voices to the rest of the world and to bring them into dialogue with storytellers globally.”
Other incredible Kenyan films from Kenyan directors showcasing stories of resilience, creativity and culture include ‘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). A selection of African films will include ‘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), among others.
This year’s programme raises the bar with the introduction of an In-Competition section, showcasing five exceptional 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). A distinguished Kenyan jury, led by Jury President Wanuri Kahiu—the award-winning filmmaker, writer and speaker celebrated for her bold storytelling that centers African joy and resilience—will bring their depth of experience, passion and vision to select the winning film. She will be joined by Elsaphan Njora, a multi-hyphenate artist; Carol Kioko, a veteran producer dedicated to sustainable Pan-African storytelling and head of Kenya’s 48 Hour Short Film Project; and Mūmbi Kaigwa, the award-winning actor, writer and director whose lifelong contributions to African arts and culture are unparalleled.
This year’s program will have a special focus on Afro-Latin American cinema and once again feature ‘Shorts, Shorts and Shots’, an audience favourite curated by DocuBox at Shalom House. This hybrid beach-party-style event invites guests to wear their favourite shorts, while sipping on shots and diving into a curation of short films from Africa.
A hallmark of the NBO Film Festival has always been its commitment to dialogue and 2025 will be no exception. Each screening will be followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers, designed to deepen audience engagement and explore the pressing themes of our time. Alongside screenings, the festival’s industry programme will strengthen connections between local creators and the global film industry through roundtable discussions, artist-to-artist conversations and pitching sessions with international buyers and distributors. Audiences can also look forward to headline events, such as the Opening Night Gala, Closing Night Ceremony and Wrap Party, as well as community screenings in Eastlands, ensuring the magic of cinema continues to reach broad audiences.
The festival’s Creators Brunch, providing a nurturing space for young and emerging female creators to gain mentorship and build meaningful connections with established women leaders in the creative sector, will also be returning this year.
Since its founding in 2017, the NBO Film Festival has grown into a cultural cornerstone in Kenya and East Africa—spotlighting African cinema, amplifying African voices and connecting audiences to diverse stories from across the continent and its diaspora. With multiple venues across the city, a bold lineup of films and a host of industry events, this year’s edition promises to be the festival’s most dynamic yet—cementing NBO Film Festival’s place as the cornerstone for nurturing our continent’s rich films and culture.
