Discover the best of Kenyan cinema, film, and television

Discover the definitive list of popular and critically-acclaimed movies and TV shows from Kenya. Find your next binge-watch, streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!

The cinema of Kenya

Kenyan cinema is a world of incredible colour, infectious energy, and groundbreaking new voices telling fresh stories from a modern African perspective. The global spotlight found Kenya in a big way with the gritty, stylish crime drama Nairobi Half Life. A massive success at home and abroad, it proved Kenyan stories could be both raw and commercially appealing, igniting a new wave of filmmaking. This creative explosion has been led by visionary directors like Wanuri Kahiu, who champions a philosophy she calls 'Afro-bubblegum'—art that is fun, fierce, and vibrant. Her beautiful love story Rafiki charmed audiences at the Cannes Film Festival with its stunning visual style. This spirit also produced the wonderfully imaginative and heartwarming film Supa Modo, a story about a community rallying around a terminally ill girl's love for superheroes that captured hearts everywhere. This cinematic energy is now fuelling a golden age of television. With local streaming services backing ambitious new dramas like the slick police procedural Crime and Justice, the scene is more exciting than ever. What makes Kenyan cinema so thrilling is this youthful, creative spirit. It’s a cinema bursting with confidence, proudly putting its own vibrant culture and unique perspective on screen for the whole world to see.

Best Kenyan series

  • Poster for Kash Money

    Kash Money 2025

    Joe Njenga is a ruthless tycoon who will stop at nothing to get his way. But his stubbornness will lead to his downfall — and his family's.

    100
  • Poster for Single Kiasi

    Single Kiasi 2022

    Follow the lives of three women in Nairobi as they deal with the challenges that marriage, friendship, relationships, and their careers throw at them.

    90
  • Poster for Volume

    Volume 2023

    While chasing his dream of making a living through music, a talented young man from humble origins gets entangled in dubious dealings.

    85
  • Poster for Country Queen

    Country Queen 2022

    A Nairobi event planner returns to her village after 10 years, where she confronts her past — and a mining company that threatens to destroy her home.

    65
  • Poster for Click Click Bang

    Click Click Bang 2022

    A footballer turns to petty crime when his sporting career stalls. Under the wing of a crooked cop, he soon descends deeper into the criminal underworld.

    76
  • Poster for Twende

    Twende 2023

    Twende is a pangolin, which is the slowest-moving animal in the Savannah. His belief that 'life is about the journey, not the destination' is at odds with his job as a boda boda driver in the busy, fictional African city of Milima.

    70

Best Kenyan movies

  • Poster for Rafiki

    Rafiki 2018

    Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.

    71
  • Poster for The First Grader

    The First Grader 2010

    The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.

    73
  • Poster for Watu Wote: All of Us

    Watu Wote: All of Us 2017

    For a decade Kenya has been targeted by terrorist attacks of the Al-Shabaab. An atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust between Muslims and Christians is growing. Until in December 2015, Muslim bus passengers showed that solidarity can prevail.

    77
  • Poster for Nairobi Half Life

    Nairobi Half Life 2012

    Mwas, a young aspiring actor from upcountry Kenya dreams of becoming an accomplished actor one day, and in pursuit of this, he makes his way to Nairobi, the city of opportunity. He quickly understands why Nairobi is nicknamed Nairrobery as he is bereaved of all his money and belongings and left alone in a city where he doesn’t know a soul. Luck or the lack of it brings Mwas face to face with the city’s criminals and forms a friendship with a small time crook who takes him in. He is quickly drawn into a world of crime as he struggles to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Keeping the two worlds separate proves to be a challenge for Mwas as he steps into this unknown world called Nairobi.

    78
  • Poster for Softie

    Softie 2020

    Boniface Mwangi is daring and audacious, and recognized as Kenya’s most provocative photojournalist. But as a father of three young children, these qualities create tremendous turmoil between him and his wife Njeri. When he wants to run for political office, he is forced to choose: country or family?

    72
  • Poster for Nawi

    Nawi 2024

    Nawi is a Kenyan film that explores the intricate themes of love, identity, and cultural heritage, set against the vibrant backdrop of modern-day Kenya. The narrative centers on a young woman who is caught between the traditions of her upbringing and the pressures of contemporary life. As she confronts the weight of familial expectations and the pull of her own dreams, she embarks on a transformative journey of self-discovery.

    80