After making its debut at Sundance in January, a story about a land dispute, Kikuyu Land, will make its home debut at the NBO Film Festival from October 15 to 25, with screenings at Unseen Nairobi thereafter.
During the film festival run, the film will screen at Prestige cinemas and Kaloleni Social Hall.
“Kikuyu Land”, directed by journalist Bea Wangondu and cinematographer Andrew Brown, traces a land dispute in Kenya involving local communities, county authorities and a multinational corporation, while steadily peeling back layers of history that continue to shape present-day land disputes.
For Wangondu, the story is rooted in memory and bolstered by her own investigation into the matter.
“I grew up hearing stories in my Kikuyu community, often shared quietly about land that was taken and promises that were broken,” she said at the time of the film’s release. “This film is about uncovering things that weren’t said.”
Her inquiry into the dispute leads beyond official records and courtrooms, drawing on her own family narratives and silences passed down across generations.
‘Kikuyu Land’ is an apt film to join the festival’s catalogue since the theme for this year is Cinema for Us.
According to the organisers, the seventh edition of the festival is built around a simple belief: African cinema should not only travel the world, but should also be experienced by African audiences at home and together.
