■ What’s On
SINEKAYA SCREENING SERIES #001
Wednesday 17th June 2026
UNSEEN NAIROBI
Kilimani, Nairobi, Kenya
Sinekaya’s inaugural screening programme invites audiences, filmmakers, and cinema lovers to come together for an evening of film, conversation, and collective reflection.
Under the theme “Re-Claiming Our Spaces,” this first gathering explores an important question: what conditions are needed for independent cinema to thrive in Kenya?
As Kenya’s film landscape continues to evolve, filmmakers are creating bold and original work despite limited exhibition opportunities, fragmented distribution networks, and rapidly changing viewing habits. This programme creates space to reflect on the current state of Kenyan cinema, celebrate emerging voices, and imagine pathways toward a more sustainable future for independent filmmaking.
The evening brings together six selected Kenyan short films and the Kenyan premiere of Mambar Pierrette (2023), a remarkable work from Cameroonian director Rosine Mbakam that blurs the boundaries between fiction and documentary. Together, these films offer intimate perspectives on everyday realities, resilience, labour, family, and belonging.
The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion featuring filmmakers and industry practitioners, creating an opportunity to engage more deeply with the ideas raised on screen and the future of cinema in Kenya.
At Sinekaya, we believe cinema does not end when the credits roll. It continues through conversation, connection, and community.
Karibuni Kaya.
Under the theme “Re-Claiming Our Spaces,” this first gathering explores an important question: what conditions are needed for independent cinema to thrive in Kenya?
As Kenya’s film landscape continues to evolve, filmmakers are creating bold and original work despite limited exhibition opportunities, fragmented distribution networks, and rapidly changing viewing habits. This programme creates space to reflect on the current state of Kenyan cinema, celebrate emerging voices, and imagine pathways toward a more sustainable future for independent filmmaking.
The evening brings together six selected Kenyan short films and the Kenyan premiere of Mambar Pierrette (2023), a remarkable work from Cameroonian director Rosine Mbakam that blurs the boundaries between fiction and documentary. Together, these films offer intimate perspectives on everyday realities, resilience, labour, family, and belonging.
The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion featuring filmmakers and industry practitioners, creating an opportunity to engage more deeply with the ideas raised on screen and the future of cinema in Kenya.
At Sinekaya, we believe cinema does not end when the credits roll. It continues through conversation, connection, and community.
Karibuni Kaya.
Programme
Kenyan Shorts Screening
Abdakistan (2026) Dir. Mark Kinuthia
The Strong One (2023) Dir. Shamit Patel
Ile Siku (2026) Dir. Michael Loy
Lost (2026) Dir. Winnie Akoth
Hunger (2025) Dir. Trevor Sagide
Kanairo (2023) Dir. Cecimercy Wanza
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.
Mambar Pierrette (2023) Dir. Rosine Mbakam
Runtime: 93 minutes
Director: Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam
Cast: Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat, Marguerite Mbakop, Duval Franklin Nwodu Chinedu
Country: Cameroon
Year: 2023
Synopsis: 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.
Panel Discission with Sagini Megane, Wanyuru Muiruri, and Sinema Focus
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.
The discussion will feature:
Sagini Megane, Bold film critic
Wanyuru Muiruri, Film curator and cultural practitioner
Representative from Sinema Focus, an East African film journalism platform dedicated to documenting, analysing, and amplifying stories from the region’s film industry.
Audience participation is encouraged as we collectively imagine how cinema spaces can be reclaimed, expanded, and sustained for future generations of filmmakers and filmgoers.
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Full Schedule
5:00 PM Kenyan Short Films Screening
6:15 PM Mambar Pierrette
7:50 PM Panel Discussion
Full Schedule
5:00 PM Kenyan Short Films Screening
6:15 PM Mambar Pierrette
7:50 PM Panel Discussion