Best Kenyan documentary movies

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?

Between the Rains is a coming-of-age story of Kolei, a shepherd boy whose name translates to “living amongst the goats.” Unfolding over the course of a prolonged drought, viewers are pressed deeper into Kolei’s inner conflict as he questions not only his own identity as a warrior — a path that was chosen for him —but also the erosion of the culture that has shaped every aspect of his life. For Kolei, becoming a warrior not only shapes masculinity and personal identity, but it is also the very foundation on which this community and society root their lives. It is a sacred, guiding pillar.

Milking the Rhino is a 2009 documentary film that examines the relationship between the indigenous African wildlife, the villagers who live amongst this wildlife and conservationists who look to keep tourism dollars coming in. Both the Massai of Kenya and the Ovahimba of Namibia have spent centuries as cattle farmers. With their lands being turned into protected game reserves, these ancient tribes have turned to tourism as a means of survival. While some environmentalists think that community-based conservation is ideal for these villagers, the dangers of drought and the starvation of their cattle remains a constant reality.

Tapi! is a short documentary that explores a formative moment in the life of Kenyan ritual healer Jackson, one of the last practitioners of the ritual healing practice called utapishi ('tapi'). The leaders of the local Christian church are not happy with the influence of the ritual and decide to go to court. Jackson pushes back against the threat of tapi's prohibition by local Christian church movements who seem to be determined to erase the complex history of a people.

In the Kenyan bush, a crackdown on ivory poaching forces a silver-tongued second-generation poacher to seek out an unlikely ally in this fly-on-the-wall look at both sides of the conservation divide.

The stakes escalate in a longstanding conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, as unresolved historical injustices and the impact of climate change come to the forefront.

What does beauty look like? In this award-winning short, Kenyan filmmaker Ng’endo Mukii combines animation, performance, and experimental techniques to create a visually arresting and psychologically penetrating exploration of the insidious impact of Western beauty standards and media-created ideals on African women’s perceptions of themselves. From hair-straightening to skin-lightening, YELLOW FEVER unpacks the cultural and historical forces that have long made Black women uncomfortable, literally, in their own skin.

A STORY OF STRUGGLE, SACRIFICE AND DEDICATION Discover the world behind the Kenyan long-distance runners. See how they train, live an work hard to realize their dreams. Follow top athlete Geoffrey Kipsang. Watch him as he trains and paces for Haile Gebrselassie, and makes his debut at the 2012 Berlin Marathon.

Two intrepid Nairobi women decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past.

A portrait of family, and a study of migration, assimilation and generational spirit in the most gentle and intimate of terms. Kenyan born Munyiri, partially raised in South Africa and much-travelled since, creates an autobiography-through biography of her late paternal grandmother, Waithira.

Omondi lives in the biggest slum in East Africa. Everyday he sees airplanes fly over him. He dreams of becoming an airline pilot and flying far away.

The Lions of Musiara Marsh.

Urban life can be difficult. Here we first follow a couple who encounter one problem after another as they hunt for a flat. The estate agent is a crook and makes their job even harder. When it becomes impossible to find somewhere to rent, there’s only one thing left to do: live in a shanty town. One of the inhabitants shows us what living in that environment actually means.