KITALE, Kenya — The Kitale Film Week has unveiled the official program for its highly anticipated fourth edition, running Feb. 22 to March 1, 2026, promising a powerhouse lineup of award-winning global cinema, urgent African documentaries and a robust industry platform focused on series production.
The festival is set to deliver an explosive week of action, beginning and ending with special tributes to Kenyan film legends.
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Opening Night and A-List Features
The 2026 edition kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 25, with the high-energy comedy-heist, Inside Job (2025), from acclaimed Kenyan director David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga. The film stars comedic powerhouses Mammito Eunice and Jacky Vike.
The selection will feature multiple global festival winners, including Mati Diop’s Golden Bear-winning documentary Dahomey (2024), and Dani Kouyaté’s award-winning Afro-Noir thriller Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (2024), a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The festival will also screen the UNESCO Fellini Medal winner, The Fisherman (2024) from Ghana.
Tributes to Kenyan Pioneers
The program pays homage to cinematic legends. A special tribute to the late Ann Mungai will be held Sunday, Feb. 22, featuring her groundbreaking 1992 film Saikati. Mungai died in November 2025.
The festival closes on Sunday, March 1, with a heartfelt Charles Bukeko (known as Papa Shirandula) tribute, highlighting his work in Bob Nyanja’s classic comedy-drama Malooned! (2007).
Industry Focus and Social Cinema
The 2026 festival emphasizes industry development, particularly series production, audience development and film distribution. This push is driven by the belief that streaming-led series production represents the “biggest growth and revenue opportunity in the African market,” according to founder Peter Pages Bwire.
“We have made our industry program to prioritize skills that are transferable between features and series, but with a series-first mindset,” Bwire said.
This robust industry program includes the North Rift and Western Kenya Film and TV Summit on March 1, and a Film in Education program in partnership with Tunga Media Afrika. The festival is also introducing a new initiative, The Youth Critics Circle, aimed at developing a new generation of critics for the African film industry.
Featured films will also spotlight socially conscious topics, including Nick Reding and Wanuri Kahiu’s raw drama Sarah (2024), which addresses female genital cutting and early marriage in the Loita Hills, and Nick Wambugu’s documentary The People Shall (2025), capturing contemporary Kenyan youth-led activism.
Distributor Collaborations
The festival’s lineup was significantly shaped by key distributors, who Bwire said provided films and gave audiences “the opportunity to interact with their own stories in a very accessible way.”
Key partners bringing films to the 2026 edition include Tunga Media Afrika, Sudu Connexion, Okada Media and Rushlake Media.
The short films program features a curated selection by Lagos-based distributor FilmJoint, which includes Barbara Minishi’s Inheritance (2024) and Nmezi Joy’s Slot (2025), alongside powerful independent titles like Jordy Sank’s South African drama Fleas/Amazeze (2025) and Lydia Matata’s Kenyan short Float (2025).
