International Kenyan film Call Me Queen will premiere in Nairobi on October 17, 2026 at the NBO Film Festival, ahead of a wider cinema release across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda from October 30, 2026, according to a press release dated September 16, 2026.

The premiere is scheduled to take place at Prestige Ngong Road from 6pm, with members of the film’s Kenyan and international cast and crew expected to attend, the statement said. The release adds that tickets for the “exclusive Africa red-carpet premiere” are available via YAKWETU at KES 2,500, with the ticket package including a welcome cocktail, screening, cast and crew Q&A and networking.

The announcement is the latest example of a Kenyan-rooted production using regional theatrical distribution and local digital platforms as part of its release strategy, at a time when cinema exhibition in East Africa is increasingly shaped by partnerships between distributors, festival platforms and streaming services. The multi-country rollout may also support box-office performance by expanding the addressable audience beyond Kenya’s major urban markets.

Call Me Queen was filmed in Kenya and is directed by French-Iranian filmmaker Emily Atef. According to the press release, it features a cast that includes Eliane Umuhire, Denise Gough, Charlie Carrick, Dominic West, Laurent Lafitte and Danny Sapani, alongside Kenyan actors Michelle Tiren, Nice Githinji, Lwanda Jawar, Helen Keli, Peter Kawa and Eddie Kimani.

The screenplay is based on veteran foreign correspondent Lara Santoro’s novel Mercy and was written by Emily Atef, Kenyan-Ghanaian author Hawa Essuman, German filmmaker Josune Hahnheiser and British writer Jeannine Dominy, the release said.

The film is set in Nairobi in 1999 during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and follows Queen Achungo (played by Umuhire), described in the statement as a Rwandan refugee and single mother living in Korogocho, and Anna (played by Gough), an international journalist newly arrived in Kenya. The story centres on their relationship and their efforts to address unequal access to HIV medication, according to the press release.

Speaking in the statement, director Emily Atef said: “Queen is the undisputed heroine of the film, a woman whose resilience and natural leadership emerge as her personal struggle grows into a fight for her community. Her strength, humour and fearlessness and innate intelligence is what makes her a born leader. Queen and the people around her take control of their own struggle and fight for change on their own terms.”

The East Africa distribution is being handled by Crimson Multimedia and YAKWETU. Their joint CEO, Trushna Buddhdev-Patel, said the film will reach cinemas across the region from October 30 and later be available online via YAKWETU. “We are also inviting Partnerships for Impact Screenings on the critical Issues raised of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Detection & Treatment (amidst its current Resurgence); Equal Access to Healthcare, Information & Medicine for all Diseases; Women Empowerment & Activism for Social Justice; and the Importance of Community and Friendship,” Buddhdev-Patel said in the release.

In its editor’s notes, the statement describes Call Me Queen as an international production involving Ringel Film, Les Films Pelléas, Cowboy Films and Streetcar Productions, with co-production partners including Zischlermann Filmproduktion, Construction Film and Ascent Films. The press release also notes the film has been selected for international festivals, including the Hamburg Film Festival in Germany.

For Kenya’s film and creative economy, the combination of festival premiere, multi-territory theatrical release and subsequent streaming availability reflects a hybrid distribution approach that could help locally shot productions maximise revenues and visibility across East Africa.

The next milestone is the Nairobi premiere on October 17, followed by the regional cinema release on October 30, the statement said.