NBO Film Festival has announced its seventh edition across four Nairobi venues from 15 to 25 Oct 2026 with an expanded competition programme.
The festival announced the dates in a press release dated 2 Sep 2026.
NBO Film Festival Artistic Director Mbithi Masya said the theme aims to centre local audiences in African cinema’s growth.
“Cinema for us means creating a space where audiences can discover, celebrate and engage with the stories being made across Africa and beyond,” Masya said.
“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.”
Screenings will take place at Prestige Plaza, Unseen Cinema, Kaloleni Social Hall and Alliance Française Nairobi.
The organisers said the festival will combine public screenings with community programmes, “City Dialogues” and filmmaker conversations as part of Nairobi’s broader cultural calendar.
The festival said its theme “Cinema for Us” calls for African audiences to access and experience African films locally.
The announcement comes as Kenya’s film and creative economy continues to broaden.
Festivals and industry platforms increasingly serve as routes for distribution, networking and project development.
The format matters to Kenya because it can bring visitors to host venues and give local filmmakers additional routes to audiences.
It can also connect Nairobi filmmakers with potential partners including regional and international industry players.
The festival said it will expand its competitive slate to three juried competitions.
It will retain the Fiction Feature Film Competition and add the Nick Wambugu Prize for Documentary and a Short Film Fiction competition.
The festival said it will announce competition jury chairs on 4 Sep and competition selections on 7 Sep.
The festival will also present its first filmmaker retrospective dedicated to Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis.
Gomis is expected to attend both audience and industry events.
The organisers said EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) supports the retrospective.
The full retrospective line-up is scheduled for release on 9 Sep.
The festival will announce its opening film and major Special Presentations on 10 Sep.
The festival said its expanded industry programme aims to connect filmmakers and professionals through the NBO Project Showcase, creative labs and professional exchanges.
Such platforms can influence deal-making and co-production pipelines in East Africa by giving projects visibility earlier in development.
They can also widen access to mentors, financiers and commissioning editors.
The organisers have not disclosed ticket prices, sponsorship figures or projected attendance in the press release.
The organisers said the festival trailer and ticket sales will launch on 12 Sep.
The complete programme and screening schedule are expected on 14 Sep ahead of the October event.