ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
OUR VISION
To entertain and inspire the people of Kenya and its diaspora by connecting their experiences, perspectives and emotions through the moving image, and to empower creative minds and innovative technologies that bring us closer to each other.
OUR MISSION
To expand limited knowledge of Kenyan art and film, and inspire audiences to actively discover Kenya’s powerful storytelling.
OUR OBJECTIVES
To nurture a vibrant film culture that encourages collective reflection of the Kenyan identity by celebrating our successes and creating magical experiences through exhibitions in an independently owned and operated cinema.
To establish NBO Film Festival as a platform for talent, skills and knowledge development with industry workshops and professional development initiatives to amplify unheard voices.
To grow the Kenyan film community and audiences through pipeline development of high quality films with funding support for production, distribution, writing and development.
OUR IMPACT
In its first three editions, NBO Film Festival hosted World Premieres with audience Q&A’s of Kenya’s top films, with Lusala going on to its International Premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Supa Modo getting the longest cinema run after Nairobi Half Life and winning 44 international awards to become Kenya’s 2019 Foreign Language Oscar® submission.
NBO acts as a springboard for theatrical release of Kenyan films such as New Moon, Supa Modo, Disconnect and Lusala, which continue to rise in commercial value and garner attention internationally; most recently, mobilising community engagement and hosting a Q&A in Kenya for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival favourite Softie.
The Festival serves as a strong advocate for the expression of all Kenyan voices, and has ensured continuing dialogues around previously banned films such as Stories of Our Lives and Rafiki.
NBO’s short film programmes are quickly developing a reputation for the discovery of Kenya’s most exciting up and coming creative talents.
NBO develops and produces industry workshops on distribution, production, pitching sessions, and hosts Q&A’s and roundtables for films and discussions on industry best practices.
Increasing four-fold from 502 in 2017 to 2155 in 2018, and steadily increasing to 3468 in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, NBO audiences are built on a solid foundation of deep established relationships in film and arts & culture communities through the team’s reputations and contributions to music, theatre, film and podcasting sectors.
NBO Film Festival not only curates the best in contemporary Kenyan and diaspora film for Nairobi audiences, we connect the best of Kenyan film talent to the rest
of the world, from curating films for International Film Festival Rotterdam to hosting professional development sessions in Nairobi with respected international industry professionals.
INFLUENCING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY
NBO Film Festival serves to tell stories that deserve to be heard. Within Kenya and across the diaspora, our shared voices and experiences through film, music, art and technology bring us closer together into spaces of mutual respect, empathy and expression. Across the global community, our voices inform industry policies and practices that ensure inclusive and accurate representation of members of Kenyan and African diaspora communities.
NBO aims to catalyse global social impact, redefining the world’s perceptions of Kenyan storytelling, and realising the potential to inspire a more equitable future for storytellers in Kenya, across the African continent, and beyond.