Crimson Multimedia will release Call Me Queen in East African cinemas on 30 Oct 2026 following the film's Kenyan premiere in Nairobi.

The release matters to Kenya's film industry because it gives a production involving local talent both regional cinema distribution and an online outlet.

The film premiered at Prestige Cinema on Ngong Road during the NBO Film Festival on 17 Oct 2026 according to the release.

“This film deserves to be watched widely,” said Trushna Buddhdev-Patel, managing director of Crimson Multimedia and co-founder of YAKWETU.

Cinema screenings will cover Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda before an online release through YAKWETU from 13 Nov 2026.

Buddhdev-Patel said the online release would serve audiences beyond the reach of cinemas.

The distribution plan combines a regional theatrical run with access through a Kenya-based digital platform rather than relying on cinemas alone.

According to the release, more than 150 Kenyan cast and crew members worked on the international production.

Director Emily Atef attended the Nairobi premiere alongside German producer Gian Piero Ringel and lead Rwandan-French actress Eliane Umuhire.

Kenyan actors at the event included Nice Githinji, Helen Keli, Peter Kawa, Michelle Tiren and Lwanda Jawar Kotengo.

Umuhire plays Queen Achungo opposite Irish actress Denise Gough in a story set in Nairobi during the 1990s HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Queen is a Rwandan refugee and single mother living in Korogocho who becomes a housekeeper for an international journalist in an affluent suburb.

Their relationship develops into a friendship as Queen's HIV diagnosis brings her into a struggle for access to life-saving medication.

The story examines poverty and pharmaceutical patents alongside the unequal access to healthcare that shapes the characters' lives.

“Her strength, humour, fearlessness and innate intelligence is what makes her a born leader,” director Emily Atef said.

The screenplay draws on veteran foreign correspondent Lara Santoro's novel Mercy and was inspired by true events according to the release.

Atef wrote the screenplay with Kenyan-Ghanaian screenwriter Hawa Essuman, German filmmaker Josune Hahnheiser and British writer Jeannine Dominy.

The production companies include Ringel Film, Les Films Pelléas, Cowboy Films and Streetcar Productions.

The film is dedicated to Kenyan film and television producer Appie Matere who worked on the project with Ascent Films before her death.

Crimson Multimedia's previous Kenyan distribution work includes Nairobi Half Life, Rafiki, Softie, Supa Modo and Kati Kati according to the company.

The distributors are seeking partners for impact screenings addressing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment alongside equal healthcare access and women's empowerment.

The regional cinema release begins on 30 Oct 2026 before YAKWETU starts online distribution on 13 Nov 2026.