Along Ngong Road, at the iconic Shalom House in Nairobi, a modest office has quietly become one of East Africa’s most vital creative engines.
Within these walls, the future of African documentary filmmaking is being negotiated; not through loud declarations or red-carpet fanfare, but through the steady rhythm of mentorship, careful listening, and an unshakeable belief in the power of the local lens.
For over a decade, this creative incubator has championed a radical idea: trusting East African filmmakers to describe the world as they see it.
From climate activists in Mutomo to families caught in coastal land disputes, the centre has nurtured a generation of storytellers determined to document history in real-time.
As the industry enters a new phase of growth in 2026, the focus is shifting from simply making films to building a sustainable, independent ecosystem.
This evolution is driven by a deep-seated belief that African stories must be told by those who live them.
Susan Mbogo, a key figure in the leadership of this movement, reflects on the weight of this mission. “It’s both an honour and a responsibility,” she notes. “We’ve built a home for bold, independent filmmakers, a space where creative risk isn’t just allowed, but encouraged. ”The foundation for this work was laid by industry veterans Judy Kibinge and Josh Mwamunga, who envisioned an institution that would fund, mentor, and defend documentary storytelling at a time when the genre was often sidelined in favor of commercial cinema.
The results speak through the data: 86 short films, 44 feature documentaries and 56 short documentaries supported over 13 years. Yet, beyond the numbers lies the slow, intentional construction of a cinematic ecosystem that aims to reclaim the African narrative.
The global documentary landscape is currently navigating a period of dizzying volatility. Funding pools are shrinking, distribution models are fragmenting, and Artificial Intelligence is reconfiguring everything from research to post-production.
For East African filmmakers, often working with lean budgets and fragile infrastructure, the pressure is immense. Mbogo is clear-eyed about these challenges, noting that the industry must adapt to survive.
“Filmmakers are navigating funding precarity, distribution challenges, digital shifts and new storytelling forms. We have to respond holistically,” she explains.
In this context, support means moving beyond traditional grant-giving to include impact strategy, mental wellness support, and alternative financing to reduce dependency on volatile external grants.
The goal is to move the conversation from survival to thriving, asking uncomfortable questions about creative control and ensuring that African stories circulate within the continent rather than just being exported to overseas film festivals.
In a deliberate move to challenge traditional power dynamics, the center recently convened an international partnership summit in Nairobi. Historically, African filmmakers have had to fly abroad to pitch their projects to global financiers.
This summit reversed the flow, bringing representatives from the Ford Foundation, Sundance Institute, and Doc Society to the capital to meet local creators on their own turf. Mbogo believes this shift is vital for the dignity of the craft.
“You shouldn’t have to leave home to meet funders, festival programmers or peers who can help shape your work,” she insists. Since 2013, the organisation has hosted over 88 workshops, reaching more than 1,000 filmmakers, providing the community that acts as oxygen for long-term projects.
If funding is one side of the coin, distribution is the other. With traditional platforms like linear TV and cinema chains becoming increasingly unpredictable, the industry has turned to grassroots imagination.
In 2018, the ‘Shorts, Shorts & Shots’ platform was launched, a recurring space where short films are screened and critiqued in a social, high-energy environment.
What began as a screening event has grown into a cultural convening where filmmakers meet their audience face-to-face. The strategy also embraces impact screenings taking films to schools, community centers, and marketplaces.
To date, over 240 impact screenings have reached upwards of 80,000 people.
When audiences debate inheritance rights after watching a coastal land dispute, or interrogate climate injustice after hearing a farmer’s testimony, documentary becomes more than art; it becomes civic infrastructure.
The rise of Artificial Intelligence also sits uneasily within the creative community. While AI tools offer advantages in transcription and subtitling, there is a firm stance on maintaining the human element.
Mbogo remains pragmatic, insisting that technology must serve the narrative rather than dictate it. “Documentary depends on human relationships, lived experience and ethical responsibility,” she says. “AI cannot replace emotional intelligence or accountability.”
This commitment to the human element is echoed in the need for a robust culture of critique. There is a concerning decline in film criticism within mainstream Kenyan media. Aside from dedicated segments like “Film and Theatre” on KBC, few outlets consistently interrogate local work.Without such critique, films struggle to enter the cultural bloodstream and gain the social reflection they deserve. When films are reviewed, debated and contextualised, they are taken seriously; as art and as instruments of social reflection.
The themes emerging from recent projects reveal a generation grappling with the “now,” covering sexual and reproductive health rights, bodily autonomy, and climate change as a lived reality. Through these works, filmmakers are ensuring that Kenya’s contemporary history is not narrated solely by politicians or headlines, but by those living the consequences.
Mbogo views this as a vital preservation of heritage. “We are contributing to the cultural record of this moment,” she notes, emphasizing that these stories ensure contemporary history is told by those at the center of the change.
As the industry matures, the focus has shifted toward sustainability. Filmmaking is a marathon, and the goal is to provide a steadier rhythm for creators through regular labs and summits.
Communications Manager Ken Kigunda highlights several key projects, including Beyond the Hustle, a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation spotlighting young entrepreneurs in Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda. On the climate front, the Tabianchi Project equips storytellers to document urgent environmental realities under the rallying call “Someni, Oneni, Skizeni.”
Other initiatives like Kenya Creates and Get Reel champion sexual and reproductive health rights for young adults through anthology films like Know Thy Body and Sukari.
Furthermore, the Jiongoze Project uses film as a tool for preventing violent extremism by amplifying authentic youth voices, while the ‘Kamera Kwanza’ screening series, in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Nairobi, brings works like Zippy Kimundu’s Widow Champion to local audiences.
Looking ahead, the movement is returning to the core principle of consistency. Filmmaking rarely unfolds in neat timelines; scripts are rewritten and funding often falls through.
The incubator wants to provide a sense of stability. By cultivating local viewers and strengthening regional bonds through cross-border co-productions, the goal is to build a future where a career in documentary film is a viable, long-term profession. In the quiet offices of Shalom House, the camera is still rolling, capturing a version of East Africa that is complex, beautiful, and told by its own people.