Where’s the Money? Where’s the Accountability? Kenya’s Creative Economy and the Performance of Progress We take a close look at the creative economy’s budget allocation and expenditure. Read more below. sinemafocus.com/kenyas-creat…

Alternativa Film Festival Expands to Africa, Opens 2027 Submissions with $120,000 in Prizes The festival's first African edition will offer $120,000 in prize money across seven awards, with three reserved exclusively for African filmmakers. Read more below. sinemafocus.com/alternativa-…

Police officers arrive to stop the screening of ‘The People Shall’ at Mazingira Park during Kilifi Creek Festival. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK MAINA (The People Shall co-director).

NBO Film Festival 2026: ‘Ben’Imana’, ‘The Woman Who Poked the Leopard’ Win Top Prizes, Over KSh 1.7 Million Awarded to Projects in Development Read more below. sinemafocus.com/nbo-film-fes…

As the Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab enters its sixth edition, running from 26–30 October in Kigali, founders Juliana Kabua (Kenya) and Sam Tebandeke (Uganda) reflect on what it means to be a creative producer, film financing challenges and the future of filmmaking in East Africa. Read more here: sinemafocus.com/great-lakes-…

‘Call Me Queen’: A Cautious Portrait of a Devastating Decade in Africa’s AIDS Crisis (NBO Film Festival Review) “The film never steers so far from its underlying message, ensuring that it never feels intrusively callous in its depictions, but is so one-dimensionally fixed on that same messaging that it never rises above it,” writes Kelvin Kariuki. After its premiere at #NBOFilmFestival, Call Me Queen is releasing in Kenyan cinemas from 30 October. Read the full review below. sinemafocus.com/call-me-quee…

Five Filmmakers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda Selected for Docubox Short Fiction Development Grant and Lab The filmmakers will receive €12,500 in development funding for the their short film projects and three months of mentorship under the programme. Read more below. sinemafocus.com/docubox-shor…

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Crescent on the Road’: Kenyan Feature About a Muslim Woman Navigating Nairobi’s Matatu Industry Set for December Premiere Crescent on the Road is the latest Kenyan film to receive backing from Africa No Filter. Other Kenyan films include Likarion Wainaina’s psychological thriller Anam’s Wake, Daudi Anguka’s upcoming political action thriller Utata and the coming-of-age musical drama Lost Note.

EXCLUSIVE: Bigger Motion Marks One Year With Release of Theatrical Distribution Report, an Industry First Using the theatrical release of 'Beneath the Tides' as a case study, the report offers a rare look at box office earnings, cinema attendance, distribution costs and the challenges of releasing independent Kenyan films in cinemas. Read more below. sinemafocus.com/bigger-motio…

Watch the trailer for upcoming Kenyan feature Crescent on the Road. Co-directed by Victor Gatonye and Mohamed Zainudin, the film follows a young Muslim accountant who takes over her late brother’s matatu business, challenging societal expectations while fighting to protect her family’s livelihood. Premieres on 5 December 2026.

Tanzania-Kenya Co-Production ‘The Ones With the Tempered Flowers’ Leads Durban FilmMart 2026 Awards With Five Wins The experimental documentary project, directed by Tanzania’s Neema Ngelime and produced by Kenya’s Ivy Kiru, emerged as the most-awarded project as the #DurbanFilmMart wrapped its 17th edition held from 9 to 12 October 2026. Read more here: sinemafocus.com/durban-filmm…

EXCLUSIVE: Daudi Anguka’s Political Action Thriller ‘Utata’ Now in Post-Production, Targets November 2026 Release The Mombasa-set film follows a Muslim close protection officer caught in a conspiracy involving youth radicalisation, political power and her long-lost brother. This is Anguka’s second feature after Mvera - Kenya’s submission to the 2024 Oscars. sinemafocus.com/daudi-anguka…

Tunga Media Afrika, Kenya National Library Partner to Offer Over 80 African Films for KSh150 a Month The catalogue spans fiction and documentary from across the continent, including Kenya’s 'Searching for Amani', South Africa’s 'Mother City', Tanzania’s 'The Empty Grave', Eswatini’s 'Liyana' and Nigeria’s 'The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos'. All the films are accessible to any Kenyan via Kenya National Library Service’ virtual library platform VTabu or Tunga Media’s own streaming platform. Read more here: sinemafocus.com/tunga-media-…