Wednesday 17th June 2026
UNSEEN NAIROBI
Kilimani, Nairobi, Kenya
Full Schedule
5:00 PM Kenyan Short Films Screening
6:15 PM Mambar Pierrette
7:50 PM Panel Discussion
Feature film: mambar pierrette
Mambar pierrette
Runtime: 93 minutes
Director: Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam
Cast: Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat, Marguerite Mbakop, Duval Franklin Nwodu Chinedu
Country: Cameroon
Year: 2023
As the new school year approaches in Douala, neighborhood dressmaker and local confidant Pierrette faces a series of sudden misfortunes, including the threat of her workshop flooding. The film captures her quiet resilience as she struggles to stay afloat and sustain her livelihood amidst the pouring rain.
Directed by Rosine Mbakam, Mambar Pierrette unfolds within the rhythms of everyday life in the Cameroonian city of Douala. Following the experiences of a dressmaker navigating economic uncertainty, family responsibilities, and community relationships, the film offers a deeply human portrait of resilience and dignity.
Blending documentary sensibilities with fictional storytelling, Mbakam creates a cinematic language that feels both intimate and observational. The film invites audiences to inhabit ordinary spaces and encounters that are often overlooked, revealing the complexity and richness of everyday life.
For Sinekaya’s inaugural programme, Mambar Pierrette resonates strongly with the theme of Re-Claiming Our Spaces. Like many of the Kenyan short films presented alongside it, the film centres people whose stories are rarely given prominence within mainstream cinema. It reminds us that meaningful narratives can emerge from familiar places, daily routines, and local communities.
By pairing Mambar Pierrette with contemporary Kenyan short films, we hope to create a dialogue across African contexts while exploring shared questions of belonging, labour, visibility, and cultural representation.
kenyan shorts
The six short films selected for this programme were chosen through an open call for submissions from Kenyan filmmakers.
While diverse in style, genre, and subject matter, these works share a common commitment to exploring everyday experiences through distinct and personal cinematic voices. Together, they reflect the richness of Kenya’s emerging independent film scene and the creative experimentation shaping a new generation of filmmakers.
Rather than presenting a single narrative about Kenya, the programme offers multiple perspectives on identity, memory, work, family, urban life, and social change. Some films draw from documentary traditions, while others embrace fiction, hybridity, or visual experimentation.
By bringing these works into dialogue with one another, the programme highlights the diversity of stories being told across Kenya today and the importance of creating spaces where these voices can be seen, discussed, and celebrated.
Abdakistan
Runtime: 10 minutes
Director: Mark Kinuthia
Genre: Animation
Country: Kenya
Year: 2026
Abdakistan is short political satire animation following the life of a corrupt polititian.
The Strong One
Runtime: 5 minutes
Director: Shamit Patel
Genre: Documentary
Country: Kenya
Year: 2023
In the unforgiving Savannah, a determined dung beetle braves predators, natural disasters, and deadly human encroachment on a perilous quest for love, uncovering the brutal balance between survival and nature’s primal forces.
Ile Siku
Runtime: 4 minutes
Director: Michael Loy
Genre: Documentary
Country: Tanzania
Year: 2026
As climate catastrophe ravages the planet, a solitary voice journeys through a scarred world, confronting humanity’s destructive legacy and the urgent need to restore balance before nature reaches the point of no return.
Lost
Runtime: 7 minutes
Director: Winnie Akoth
Genre: Drama
Country: Kenya
Year: 2026
Lost is a short film about Roy who is battling depression and losing herself into it.
hunger
Runtime: 19 minutes
Director: Trevor Sagide
Genre: Horror
Country: Kenya
Year: 2025
Ryan, a reserved young man, rescues Sarah from a troubled home, believing he is her savior. As he keeps her hidden away in his bungalow, Sarah’s physical and psychological state deteriorates, revealing a hunger far deeper than mere sustenance. With tensions rising and unspoken truths lurking beneath their interactions, the dynamic between them takes a dark and unexpected turn.
kanairo
Runtime: 12 minutes
Director: Cecimercy Wanza
Genre: Drama
Country: Kenya
Year: 2023
Kanairo follows Johnte a young Kenya man as he navigates the financial and psychological crises of modern urban life while battling suicidal thoughts.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Following the screenings, audiences are invited to join a conversation with filmmakers and industry practitioners exploring the realities of independent filmmaking in Kenya today. Together, the panel will reflect on the opportunities and challenges facing filmmakers, the role of exhibition spaces in nurturing local cinema, and what kinds of support systems are needed to build a more sustainable film ecosystem.
Sagini Megane, Bold film critic
Wanyuru Muiruri, Film curator and cultural practitioner
HIghlight of the event
