The 2026 NBO Film Festival has opened its doors to its seventh edition, staging 10 days of African and international cinema, filmmaker conversations and industry engagements across the city until 25 October, 2026. Tickets are now available on mookh
The opening night held last week (15 October 2026) at Prestige Cinema, Nairobi showcased the acclaimed Rwandan drama Ben’Imana, that brought together the film’s cast including Rwandese actors: Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi, Mugabo Adelithe and Kelly Nishimwe Kezia, alongside filmmakers, actors, industry professionals, media and cinema lovers. The screening was a special moment for the cast, who watched the film together for the very first time during its debut Africa premiere. The screening officially opened the festival, marking the start of 10 days of film and celebrating the diversity of stories from across the continent.
The international Kenyan film Call Me Queen (Kenya/Germany) also premiered at the festival as a Special Presentation (17 October 2026) ahead of its East African release across theatres from 30 October 2026.
Under the theme Cinema for Us, the festival is this year bringing cinema to three different venues: Prestige Plaza, Unseen Cinema and Alliance Française Nairobi through screenings, community programmes, City Dialogues and filmmaker conversations with its 2026 programme featuring 54 films — 33 features and 21 shorts.
Mbithi Masya, Artistic Director of NBO Film Festival, shared, “NBO Film Festival is a space where audiences can discover, celebrate and engage with the stories being made across Africa and beyond. This year like the rest, we want this festival to be part of Nairobi’s public life and a place where people come together to experience cinema, exchange ideas, recognise excellence and imagine what comes next. With our biggest programme yet and additional competitions, NBO 2026 is about building a deeper culture of cinema and making sure African audiences have a place in the conversation. That’s what Cinema for Us means.”
The Fiction programme will feature Carissa (South Africa), Rumba Royale (DRC), The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa/Saudi Arabia), Death Has No Master (Venezuela/Canada/Italy/Luxembourg), If I Were Alive (Brazil) and Cards on the Table (Kenya). The Documentary programme will include And She Didn’t Die (South Africa/UK), Life After Siham (France/Egypt), Kamĩrĩĩthũ Afterlives (Kenya), Black Zombie (Canada) and True North (Canada). The Lunchbox selection will feature Vuta N’Kuvute (Tanzania), Camp de Thiaroye (Senegal/Algeria/Tunisia), My Father’s Shadow (UK/Nigeria), Crocodile (New Zealand/Nigeria) and Kati Kati (Kenya/Germany).
The Family programme will include Liyana (Eswatini/US), Stero (Kenya), Baada ya Masika (Kenya/Switzerland) and Vanille (France/Switzerland). The Shorts Block will bring together One Last Order (Kenya/US), Tracks (Kenya), 10 Toes Down (Kenya), Wa Kimani (Kenya), Mr Rogers (Nigeria), Totally Torie (US), Mwakenya (Kenya), An Open Field (Ethiopia/South Africa/France/Germany), Prayer (Portugal), Window Shot (Switzerland), AAHI (Ghana), The Invitation (South Africa), Misunderstanding (Kenya) and The Fortunate (Ethiopia).
NBO Film Festival will celebrate and recognise African cinema through three juried competitions, including the returning Fiction Feature Film Competition alongside two new competitive categories: the Nick Wambugu Prize for Documentary, awarded to the best documentary in competition, and the Short Film Fiction Competition, recognising excellence in short-form storytelling. The Fiction Feature jury is chaired by Judy Kibinge, the Documentary jury by Sam Soko, and the Short Film Fiction jury by Lydia Matata, with each joined by a panel of fellow filmmakers and industry professionals.
The three competitions feature 15 films, including Ben’ Imana, Cotton Queen, Lady, One Woman, One Bra and Laundry (Fiction Feature); The Woman Who Poked the Leopard, My Father and Qaddafi, Kikuyu Land, Notes From the Underground and Crocodile (Documentary); and The Big Sad Nairobi, Goat, Souls of Fouta, God Sleeps on Sundays and The Break-in in (Short Film Fiction).
For the first time, NBO Film Festival will present a retrospective dedicated to acclaimed Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis, whose films have previously screened at the festival. Supported by EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture). The Alain Gomis Retrospective features Félicité, Rewind & Play, Tey, L’Afrance and Andalucia.
The 2026 edition of The NBO Film Festival will also strengthen its commitment to the future of African cinema through an expanded industry programme, which includes the NBO Project Showcase – the festival’s market platform where selected projects will be pitched to industry professionals, take part in one-on-one meetings with international buyers and festival scouts, and be eligible for the KES 250,000 NBO Development Grant.
The NBO Film Festival has options designed for every kind of festival-goer. Single screening tickets start at KES 1,000, while Lunchbox screenings are KES 750 and Opening Night tickets are KES 1,500. Festival-goers can also opt for the Buddy Ticket at KES 4,000 for five tickets, the Box Set at KES 4,000 for five different films, or go all in with the Golden Ticket at KES 20,000, offering access to the full festival programme. Free community screenings are also available at Kaloleni Social Hall through RSVP.
